Big Time Reunion
by AbbyMasrai
Summary: It's been two years since Leigh's disappearance, and the boys are still trying to move on. But what happens when they find out she's in town?Will the boys get the closure they so desperately deserve? Sequel to Big Time Mystery!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! So, this will be the sequel to Big Time Mystery. If you haven't read Big Time Mystery, I suggest you check it out before reading any more of this story.**

**There will be a two year gap (so everyone will be around 18). I'm thinking I need a couple of Ocs. I need a girlfriend for Carlos and for James (but keep in mind, if you and James are going to have a few fights, and there's a chance you guys might break up. I don't know yet, we'll see where the story takes us. But just keep that in mind). I also need some characters who are in the Irish mob (they can be related to Leigh if you want, I don't care! Be creative). I will say that for the mob characters, I need people who are similar to Leigh in that they are very athletic and trained in various martial arts and I'll need some people who are like really smart/scientists. You'll understand why in due time. I don't know how many characters I'll pick, but I will pick at least five (two of them being Carlos' and James' girlfriends). So! Here's the application:**

**Name: (first and last, middle name optional)**

**Age:**

**Birthday:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:**

**Skills (applies to the mob characters)**

**Talents (applies to the girlfriend characters)**

**Background story:**

**Other:**

**I'm not putting a deadline on applications, since it'll be a while until I start writing this story. But I wanted to at least put something out there for you guys. Remember, be creative and detailed with your applications: the more information, the better.**

**Thank you for all your help! Good luck! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for your submissions! They were awesome and it was so incredibly hard to choose! And, I want to say that the reason why I picked the people I picked because I think I can work them most easily into the plot. So, if yours wasn't chosen, it definitely was not because I didn't like it or thought it was poorly written. You are all wonderful!**

**Mob characters:**

**Riley Ambros O'Connor (submitted by Kaleb aka OnlyAfterMidnight)**

**Allison Jordan Marie Hastings (submitted by TheRescuer2)**

**Girlfriends:**

**So, I decided that I'm going to kick Jo out of the picture and give one of the OCs to Kendall. I hope no one minds!**

**Carlos: Allessandra (Alli) Leanne Hawthorne (submitted by crazedreader96akajetli)**

**James: Juliet Melanie Poésy (CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter)**

**Kendall: Brianna Christine Chambers (is that an okay last name?) by Brianna**

**How does this sound to everyone? I really loved all your characters, but like I said these characters were the ones I felt I could write the best.**

**I'm not sure when I'll update next. I'll be busy from tomorrow until Sunday, and I will be really busy the next weekend as well. I might possibly update on Thursday, depending on how quickly I write. Just so you know. Thanks again for the support and the submissions! You guys are awesome! Love you.**

**Oh, and two of the submissions were sent to me via PM, so I'll post the characters' profiles here:**

**Name: Riley Ambros O'Connor**

**Age: 19**

**Birthday: September 5**

**Personality: Riley is a very complicated young man. While he can put up a very hard front that is tough to see past, well, the eyes are the gateway to the soul. He gets defensive rather easily, and while he loves his father he fears him more. Riley is a being of compassion, and it hurts him to do a lot of the deeds that he is asked to do, but he yearns for the love and approval of his father. He can be seen sometimes alone at night, staring out at the masses of stars and thinking back on his life, on what he has done and what he could do. Should you catch him in this moment, see into his eyes, you will not see the harsh Irish mob-son ready to beat someone bloody that he usually shows, but rather the young, scared boy that he was never allowed to be. Riley keeps himself closed off from others, and rarely looks people in the eye to avoid letting them catch on to anything. He has a very strong heart, but his mind has been weakened over the course of his harsh life. In a sense, he is almost like a gentle giant that is driven by fear and the wishful thinking that his father will love him if he is corrupt and evil.**

**Appearance: **  
**Riley stands at an amazing 6'5" and weighs roughly around 190 to 200 lbs. He has an athletic build that's more broad than lean. His hair is pitch black and usually styled in a fohawk, complimented by epic chops at the sides of his face and a soul patch below his lip. He usually wears fit tee-shirts, good jeans, and a pair of eight eye Doc Martens. He is never seen without his silver crucifix necklace that has a single, flawless red ruby at the center.**

**Skills: When a job calls for a tank, Riley is there. He is very strong and able to take a lot of damage before the pain begins to slow him down, he has an incredible pain tolerance. Riley is an excellent fighter, though his size and look usually intimidate his opponents making the fighting a bit easier. He's never been all that great with guns but, call him old fashioned, give him a blade and he's pretty lethal. He fights well with a dagger or knife in each hand, and can throw them with pretty deadly accuracy. Aside the knives, he is also a killer bare knuckle boxer, able to knock a full grown man out with a single punch.**

**Talents:**

**Background story: Despite being born the son of an elite Irish mob boss, Riley lived the beginning of his life rather like a normal boy. The Isle of Man is where he was born and raised, and in the arms of a very loving and affectionate mother, none the less. His mother was a devote Catholic, and being raised that way as was Riley. He was an only child and as such got all of her attention and love. Riley saw little of his father, but every time he did see him the man seemed happy enough and Riley did his best to please him. When he was in about fifth grade he hit a growth spurt and didn't seem to stop growing until his head could touch the ceiling of his mother's home. Riley was suddenly introduced to what his family really was one night when he was fourteen when he watched his father shoot a man that had been threatening his wife for money. His father decided it was time for Riley to come with him, that it was too dangerous for him to live with his mother. Before he was taken away she gave him her ruby crucifix. Riley cried as they left his mother behind, and as it was sign of weakness to show such sadness at something that wasn't even a death, he was punished by having an 'X' burned into the right side of his neck, branded like live stock. From then on he greatly feared his father, but the childhood he was robbed of was hoping to see the happy man that used to greet him at the end of the day with a hug - though he is unaware it was all a lie.**  
**Riley has lived his life under a mask since then, showing a tough side to the mob and acting as apathetic as possible, though his fear grows with each day and the love in his heart aches with every inch his mind comes closer to breaking.**

**Other: he's allergic to most pain killers, like Tylenol, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen - they send him into anaphylactic shock. (His mother was killed my his father's men shortly after he left, **

**Allison Jordan Marie Hastings**

**Nickname: AJ**

**Birthday: December 24th**

**Personality: AJ is the smart one of the mob. She comes up with a lot of the plans and ways to get out of sticky situations. Outside of the mob, she keeps up a very shy appearance to deceive people, and is very good at that. She enjoys being mischievous and is very close to Leigh(the two are understand each other and don't need words to understand what is happening) She has been a mute for two years (reason why below). AJ believes she is a monster and is often plagued by nightmares of what she did.**

**Appearance: AJ is 5'8 and weights about 110 pounds. She is naturally super skinny. She has long brown hair with blonde highlights. Her side bangs fall a little over her right eye. She has warm brown eyes and a friendly smile.**

**Skills: Kicking, punching, running. She handles a knife and gun very well (if you are using them) and can climb things very easily. Is she is being chased, she likes to climb onto things and jump onto her attackers back. She is very flexible, as she had taken gymnastics for ten years (she started when she was five and stopped at fifteen)**

**Talents: AJ is very good at painting. It's one of her true passions and enjoys it very much. She is artistic and creative. She plays piano like a professional.**

**Background story: AJ father and mother were the children of rival mobs. They fell in love when they were in their eighteens and joined Leigh's father's mob after they got married. AJ's father, Rafe, was Leigh's father right hand man. When AJ's mother became pregnant with her, she was almost kicked out of the mob, but Rafe was able to convince Leigh's father his unborn child could be helpful to the mob when she got older. From the day she was seven, AJ had been training to be in the mob. She has killed before, and hates it. Ending a life for her is like killing a piece of her soul. That's why she became a mute two years ago. She was forced to kill one of the closest people in her life: her mother, as her mother tried to leave the mob life with AJ. AJ's punishment was to kill her mother, and her mother's punishment was death. After that, AJ stopped speaking and hr father tells everybody that is because she lost her voice in a car accident two years ago. But the truth is, she doesn't want to speak. Leigh understands AJ, as she too pretended to be a mute for two weeks. AJ expresses her feelings mostly through paintings and often writes down what she's thinking or feeling when their not out in combat. She writes down all the plans she comes up with and she and Leigh use sign language to talk.**


	3. Time Flies

**A/N: Hey guys! So…I actually managed to write a chapter for you all! Aren't I awesome? Hahaha..I'm kidding! But anyways, this first chapter is quite long. I hope no one minds! Let me know if you thought it was too long or if you liked this length. **

**Oh, and MAJOR DISCLAIMER: You guys might be confused by some things. You'll probably ask yourselves, "Why is Leigh not blah blah blah" or "Why doesn't she blah blah blah?" If it seems inconsistent with what was written in Big Time Mystery, it's most likely on purpose. You see, I have a plan. So, don't worry about it too too much. **

**Normal Disclaimer: I don't own anything **

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Chapter 1: Time Flies

James POV

I can't believe it's been over two years since Leigh vanished into thin air. There hasn't even been the slightest trace of her and the police gave up on finding her ages ago. I wish it were that easy for the four of us to give up on her. But it's not. Though Kendall, Carlos, and Logan have returned to their "normal selves," I can still see the pain in their eyes and the forcefulness of certain actions that used to come naturally to them, like laughing and smiling. I've noticed that these traits become more prominent the closer the anniversary of her disappearance comes. Likewise, I notice the traits lessening once the anniversary passes. Just like the phases of the moon.

We never really talk about Leigh anymore. It's like the very mentioning of her name reopens our somewhat healed wounds. But every time that horrid day approaches, we seem to have this telepathic link and completely understand one another's irrational outbursts and irritableness. I think we understand each other so well because we are all thinking the same thing. How could Leigh just disappear? Is she ok? Does she think about us? Is she even alive?

I think it's safe to say that our one saving grace is the fact we've found girlfriends who accept us in spite of our baggage. Logan and Camille were the first ones to become an item, which I'm not completely surprised about. I mean, Camille's been obsessed with the boy since the very beginning. I did always think Kendall and Jo would be the first ones to pair up, but Jo left the Palm Woods shortly after Leigh's disappearance. I think she got an acting job in Canada. Regardless, neither Jo nor Kendall wanted a long distance relationship, so that was pretty much the end of that. But Kendall did meet Brianna a few weeks after Logan and Camille began dating. At first glance, you'd think the hyperactive dirty blonde would be more of Carlos' type. But, after seeing how she and Kendall interact, I'd say it's a pretty good match.

Carlos was the next one to get a "girlfriend". Funny enough, it was a friend of ours from Minnesota, named Allessandra. She moved to Hollywood to pursue a a singing career and moved into the Palm Woods. We were all excited to see Alli again, but Carlos was especially ecstatic. Back in Minnesota, the two of them were extremely close. Alli was the only one who'd always _always_ go through with Carlos' crazy stunts, no matter how crazy. And it seems Hollywood hasn't changed their friendship. It was so painfully obvious that they _like _each other, but neither one of them would admit it. Though they haven't officially labeled it, they pretty much act like a couple, minus the kissing and handholding (though I've seen them hold hands a few times).

And then there was me and Juliet. It was funny, Juliet looked a _lot_ like Leigh, but the two of them were polar opposites. While Leigh was tough and gruff, Juliet was shy and sweet. Really, Juliet was the ideal girl for me. She is beautiful, talented, and caring. I really liked being around her. But, there was something that held me back from fully committing. And, in a funny way, I think there was something holding Juliet back, as well. I didn't know very much about her, only that she lived in France and did ballet. She's very guarded that way, much like Leigh was. And I think a big part of that is what made me attracted to her in the first place. We both know that there's way more baggage than we let on, and I think that comforts us. But at the same time, things have been shaky for the past few weeks. I don't know; it's hard to explain our relationship. It's like we need each other to keep afloat, or else we'd drown in our own sorrows. Yet, at the same time, we constantly hurt each other with our unspoken pasts. It was quite ironic, really.

None of the girls, even Camille, knew the whole story. The story we tell is that we had a really good friend who lived at the Palm Woods who ran away. It's hard to lie about it, knowing that she didn't leave of her own volition. That the girl I really cared about would of her own free will leave _me_. To this day, no one knows about Leigh and me, and it was really hard for me to grieve without telling anyone the truth. I don't know why I never told them…I guess it just didn't _feel _right.

I still had Leigh's necklace, and every night I took it out of it's secret hiding space and just stare at it. Really, it was the only physical thing besides the hole in my heart that reminded me that Leigh was indeed real, that I missed someone who was real. Every time I look at the necklace, I get this surge of hope that tomorrow will be the day I see her again. And even though I know tomorrow will be no different than any other day, I still hope.

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Leigh's POV

I gripped my jacket closer to me, trying to block out the Bostonian breeze that blew through an open window to my right. Basking in the warmth of my jacket, I looked over at my best friend, AJ. She appeared to not notice the cool air, her usually warm brown eyes staring straight ahead. Though she remained composed, I could tell AJ was just as antsy as I was. Being summoned by my father is never a good thing. Well, to most people, it's a good thing, even considered an honor. But AJ and I were different. Neither of us wanted to be a part of the mob, and we absolutely hated everything about it. Yet, we both knew this was our fate, and no matter what, we couldn't fight it. We were too valuable to let go. We both learned that lesson the hard way.

My ears perked at the sound of a door opening from behind me. Simultaneously, AJ and I turned around, bowing respectfully to my father. He gave us a curt nod in return, as he walked to his desk. Regally, he sat down, his green eyes focused on me. I remained impassive, as I was taught to do. Satisfied with my response, my father began to talk.

"I have a job for you two. I need you to pick something up for me."

If it were allowed, I would've rolled my eyes. To my father "pick something up" actually means, "risk your life to steal something." I've always found it amusing that my father always feels entitled to everything.

"Where?" I asked.

"Hollywood, California."

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I kept the surprise off of my face, assuming the sensation I felt was just a random occurrence. But before I could think about it anymore, I noticed movement to my left. I turned toward AJ, watching as she gesticulated wildly.

I've often wondered what AJ would do if I weren't around. She lost her voice a few years ago as a result of car crash, so now she used American Sign Language to communicate. As far as I knew, I was one of the few people who actually could read and sign the language. Learning sign language is typically something the younger generations of mobsters do, since sign language wasn't really widely used back when the older generations were active. I read AJ's signs, and translated for my father.

"What are we retrieving? Documents, weapons, drugs?"

My father smiled, slipping two envelops toward us. Automatically, AJ and I reached to grab them.

"All of the information is in that envelope," he simply stated.

I nodded, pocketing the envelope. AJ mirrored my movements, and we both waited for my father to dismiss us. But he never did.

"You will have another accomplice joining you," my father said. Had I not been as highly trained as I was, my eyes would've widened in surprise. Normally, the only person I worked with was AJ and vice versa. Whatever my father had in store, it must be huge.

The grin on my father's face grew wider as he pressed the button that turned on his intercom system. "Bring him in," I heard my father order someone. Almost immediately, the door opened again, and I looked back to see my brother Aidan and another person who looked unfamiliar to me. And I'm pretty sure I'd remember him, considering he looked to be well over six feet tall. But my guess could be inaccurate, considering his black fohawk was throwing off my calculations. His piercing green eyes quickly landed on me before turning to AJ. Though he comes across as intimidating, there was something in his eyes that made me think differently. I wasn't sure what exactly I saw, but needless to say I was incredibly intrigued.

His eyes finally rested on my father, and slowly, he bowed to my father. My father smiled at the boy, apparently pleased. Which surprised me. My father was one to take a shining to someone. What made this boy special, I didn't know. Silently, he beckoned the stranger to come closer. Obediently, the boy did as he was asked.

"This," my father started, "is Riley Ambros O'Connor. He just arrived from the motherland this morning. We're very lucky his father was willing to send him here on such short notice."

So that was it. We've been having difficulties with the family in Ireland. To be more accurate, we were on the verge of a civil war. So, the fact that this boy was here bode good news for the family. My father looked over to Riley, before pointing to AJ.

"This is Allison Jordan Marie Hastings."

AJ gestured to Riley, who looked startled by her response. Suppressing my laughter, I explained, "She says to just call her AJ. You see, AJ's mute so she typically communicates with Sign Language."

"And that," my father continued, "Would be my daughter, Katherine Leigh McGrath."

"Call me Leigh," I added. Riley nodded at both of us in greeting. Not one for words, I assumed.

Once the introductions were over with, my father began to speak once more. "You three will be on the red eye to Hollywood in two day's time. In the meantime, I think it would be good for Katherine to take you to our guest bedroom. You are our guest, after all." He then looked over at me, his eyes dancing.

"Would you please show him the way, ma mhuirnín?"

Now, if I were a normal girl, I would've been completely weirded out by this. But I knew better. My father was up to something. I glanced over at AJ, and she gave me a look that said she too was thinking the same thing as I was. At this point, all I could do was go along with my father's wish.

"Of course, father," I answered, taking his question as my dismissal. I walked out of my father's office, detecting Riley's presence behind me. Silently, we made our way to the living quarters. I opened the door to his room, turning on the lights.

"And this is your room," I explained, gesturing to the beautiful room that greeted us. Riley remained silent, taking in the room. I began walking deeper into the room, until I reached a glass door.

"And this," I continued, opening the door, "leads to your balcony." I walked out to the aforementioned balcony, gazing at the starry night above me. Riley walked out onto the balcony too, leaning against the guardrail.

"You know you're really lucky, this room has the best view of the lighthouse and the ocean," I told him, hoping to get some reaction out of him. I didn't.

I sighed. "You sure you aren't mute, as well?"

I heard a sound coming from him, and, if I didn't know any better, I would say it was a chortle. I turned to him and saw him looking at me. "No, I'm not mute," he answered.

"You have an interesting accent," I commented, "Where in Ireland are you from?"

"Isle of Man."

"I see. It's beautiful there."

"Yeah."

We were immersed in silence once more, and we both looked back at the starry night. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something sparkle dimly. Glancing over, I noticed a gorgeous crucifix with a red jewel in the center on a silver chain hanging around his neck.

"That is a beautiful necklace," I complimented. I watched as he looked down at it, his hand grabbing the crucifix.

"It was my mother's," he replied softly. Something stirred in the back of my mind, and without consciously thinking of it, I reached for my neck. But I didn't feel anything. As Riley turned to look out to the sky, I noticed something on the side of his neck.

"What happened?" I asked, reaching out to touch the right side of his neck. Gingerly, I touched the X shaped mark on his neck. I felt him stiffen, his hand shooting out and grabbing mine gently, but firmly. He yanked my hand away from his neck, holding our hands to his side, causing me to inch closer to him.

"I don't think that's any of your concern," he growled, looking down at me.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" I countered, not succumbing to his intimidation tactics, "This isn't exactly your cup of tea, yeah?"

"It doesn't matter what I want or don't want."

I nodded, understanding him completely. "Your father."

"Yes."

"I resent my father, as well."

His grip on my hand tightened slightly, as he exclaimed, "I do _not _resent my father! And how could you say that to your own father? It's obvious he loves you."

I laughed. "You mean that 'ma mhuirnín' crap? Please. If that's love, then I'd rather not have any part of it. You know as well as I do that he and every other mob boss is willing to do whatever it takes so that he or she can get out ahead of everyone else. No matter what. My father only sees me as a tool, and nothing more."

"You're wrong," he whispered, "They only act that way because we fail them, we don't live up their expectations. We just need to work harder and be better at our job. Once we satisfy them, they will love us."

I decided not press Riley anymore, knowing that there was more to this that I could even imagine. And for the sake of the job's success, we needed to be able to work together in harmony. So I gave in.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press you."

Ignoring my apology, he looked down at me, "How did you know I didn't want to be here?" His voice was laced with genuine curiosity. I guess our little argument didn't affect him.

Relieved, I smirked at him. "Your eyes. Everybody has a tell, something that gives off their true feelings," I squeezed his hand, "Yours was pretty easy to pick out."

He grimaced comically before asking, "Well, what's yours, then?"

"I don't know." Pulling my hand out of his, I walked back into his room and toward the room door. My hand rested on the doorknob, and I turned back to face Riley, who had come inside as well. I smiled at him as I added, "No one's ever been able to tell me." Before he could say anything, I uttered a hasty goodnight before opening the door, exiting his room. With the door securely closed, I walked to my room, my mind swimming with today's events. Why did I feel this tie to Hollywood? What could my father possibly want from there? Who was this Riley guy?

I didn't know what to expect, but I knew I had to be wary.

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**A/N: There's the first chapter! What did you think? I promise the girlfriends will be showing up soon, and it won't be so incredibly focused on the mobsters. It may seem like it at first, but I think based on the perspective of the story, it's sort of necessary. So I'm not purposely favoring one character over another, I promise! If you feel like I do, let me know! **

**Kaleb...what color are Riley's eyes? I couldn't remember and I read through his profile, and I didn't see the color. I probably glanced over it since I'm half way asleep now, so if you can just let me know that would be great! **

**Let me know if you guys thought I portrayed/described the characters accurately. If I can improve, please let me know! **

**Thanks again for reading everyone! Much love to you all!**


	4. Curiouser and Curiouser

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I've been super busy. **

**Shout out to ****crazedreader96akajetli for asking me to update! Without those messages, there wouldn't be an update right now. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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Chapter 2: Curiouser and Curiouser

Leigh POV

For the first time ever, I was nervous. Was it the fact my father was sending us to retrieve some unknown item for him? Perhaps. Was it the fact that having a stranger coming with us would disrupt the team dynamics? Maybe. Or was it the fact that the closer our plane got to Los Angeles the faster my heart would start to beat with unfamiliar emotions churning inside of me for no apparent reason? I didn't know. All I did know was that I was completely out of my element.

A sudden tap on my shoulder disrupted my thoughts. I turned my head to look at AJ. We stared at each other briefly before directing our gazes elsewhere. Though the exchange was ephemeral, the message was received clearly. After being friends and partners for several years, AJ and I have developed the ability to communicate without gestures. It was almost like we were telepathically linked or something. And I knew that, as usual, AJ and I were on the same page: something was amiss. Nothing we were doing made any sense. Since when did we have business in Hollywood? Most of our dealings remained within the state.

"Attention passengers," a voice boomed over the intercom, "We will begin our descent to Los Angeles shortly. Please put your chairs in the upright position and fasten your seatbelts."

I rolled my eyes. As if a flimsy little seatbelt could save my life if the plane crashed **(A/N: Please wear your seatbelts when flying…it's the law!)**. Ignoring the pilot's request, I stole a peek at Riley, who sat to my left. He made no move to do as the pilot said either, his eyes peering out of the window, watching the sunrise. Riley remained silent throughout the whole trip, which irked me. I still hadn't forgotten about our conversation two nights ago. And I certainly have noticed how he has been completely ignoring me since then. If I were a compulsive person, I would've shaken him right there and then while yelling, "What the hell's your problem?" But I wouldn't. In reality, it was none of my business. I don't even know why it bothered me so much. It just did.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the plane landed. The good thing about being on the red eye was that there weren't very many people on our flight, so getting out of the plane didn't take very long. The bad thing about being on the red eye was that it was six o'clock in the morning in LA, and we had already been up for about six hours. Were I not used to the lack of sleep I would've been _very _upset.

Wordlessly, the three of us picked up our baggage and waited outside the terminal. Moments later, a black sedan pulled up to us. The passenger door opened, and an unfamiliar, tall woman stepped out of the vehicle. Her red hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail, her sharp, calculating blue eyes focused on the three of us guardedly.

I didn't even bat an eye. "My father was right. You are very prompt," I stated casually, referring to the information I read in the envelope my father gave me and AJ two days ago, "Michelle, right?"

Michelle nodded. "If you three will please get into the vehicle, we can get back to headquarters and explain the details of your job."

Obeying, we opened the car door and piled in one by one. Shutting our door, Michelle quickly sat back down in her seat and the driver, an unknown man, drove us out of the terminal.

The ride to headquarters was intensely quiet. Seeing Michelle in the flesh sprang even more questions into my head. As the mob boss' daughter, I was familiar with pretty much everybody in our organization. Why my father neglected to mention either Michelle or Los Angeles to me prior to this assignment, I'll never know.

"So, Michelle," I said offhandedly, "What exactly do you do for my father?"

Her eyes flickered onto the rearview mirror, where her steely blue eyes had a direct view of me. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Michelle simply replied, "I'm a scientist."

"I see," I responded nonchalantly, my mind trying to make sense of her purpose. "So how long have you worked for our organization?"

"About two years."

And there was that feeling again. Something about what she said made my stomach drop to my feet. That coupled with the sense of uneasiness I felt was starting to make me feel perturbed. What the hell was going on?

I could feel AJ's eyes on me, and had I glimpsed at her I _know _I would've seen the funny look she was no doubt giving me. Even Riley shot me a few glances at me during my exchange with Michelle. No doubt the three of us were ill at ease. The question though was…why?

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James POV

Sighing, I knocked on the door. I heard a muffled noise respond from behind the door moments before Juliet walked outside her apartment. She smiled softly at me, as she tucked a loose strand of her golden blonde hair behind her ear. It was nice to see her hair down; normally she wore it in a bun. I always thought she looked happier when her hair wasn't up. When her hair is pulled away from her face, she always looks so serious. Elegant, but serious.

Doing my best to give her a sincere smile, I offered my arm to her as we began our walk to the lobby. Silently, we made our way to the elevator. As we waited for the elevator to come, Juliet began to speak.

"Are you ok?"

I looked down at her, somewhat shocked that she asked. Recovering, I grinned at her. "Of course I am." I answered, trying to reassure her. But it didn't work.

"Does it have to do with where we're going today?" she asked quietly.

I coughed, trying to keep the tears at bay. "It was her favorite restaurant," I stated simply, referring to Madam Wok's.

You see, Camille wanted to try Madam Wok's after hearing that Dak Zevon frequents the place. Brianna was more than willing to go with her, since Chinese food was her favorite thing to eat. Juliet was also curious, since she never had much exposure to it in France. And Alli…well, she just wanted to do whatever Carlos' wanted to do. And since the three of us guys got dragged into going to Madam Wok's, he decided he wanted to join us. We decided to go Thursday, which was today.

"Had I known I wouldn't have suggested we go," Juliet commented sadly, "I'm sorry."

"No, it isn't your fault," I insisted, feeling guilty, "You're right, I should've told you from the start."

"We…we don't have to go, if you don't want to," she offered.

For the first time that day, I gave her a genuine smile. That was one of the great things about Juliet. She was so selfless and always willing to put others before herself. Slipping my hand into hers, I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's ok. We can still go."

She smiled brightly at me as the elevator doors opened. Hands still intertwined, we walked into the elevator.

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**

James POV

Lunch at Madam Wok's was pleasant. Thankfully, Madam Wok didn't seem to recognize us. It had been two years after all, and the four of us have changed quite a bit, so I guess it's not surprising.

The four of us seemed to handle being back at the restaurant well. Myself included. I don't know about the rest of the guys, but having Juliet there helped make the pain fade somewhat.

I would even go so far as to say that lunch was perfect. Except for one little thing. My seat faced the window, so the whole time we were there, I was staring out at the sidewalk. Throughout the meal, this wasn't a problem for I was spending my time talking to Juliet. But, as we were waiting for the checks, and Juliet and Brianna excused themselves to go to the rest room, I found myself staring out of the window. Letting my friends' conversation become background noise, I found myself in a trance of sorts. So transfixed was I, that I barely even noticed the four people who walked by the window. It wasn't until after the girl with dark green/grey eyes walked past that my brain made a connection. _Leigh?_

I shot of my seat and bounded toward the door. Weaving in and out of waiters and customers alike, I finally reached the door. Swinging the door open, I ran outside, quickly looking around. But I didn't see anyone.

"James?" I heard Logan ask as he stood behind me, "What's wrong?"

Whirling around, I faced my friend, eyeing him incredulously. "You're kidding right? Did you _not _just see Leigh walking by?"

"Now James," he replied, the speed of his voice slowing down dramatically, as if he were talking to a crazy person, "I was looking out the window, too. And the only people I saw pass by were those four individuals. One of the girls had red hair, one had dark brown hair with blonde highlights, and one of them had black hair. Don't you remember that Leigh had blonde hair?"

I gritted my teeth. "Of course I do, Logan! I'm not an idiot! And I wasn't even looking at the hair. It was her eyes. It just had to be her, I know it!"

Logan was about to say something when Camille joined us.

"Is everything ok, Logie?" she asked.

Logan sighed. "James thinks he just saw Leigh walk by."

Camille rolled her eyes. "Oh. _Her_."

I felt my temper flare. "What do you mean by that? In case you don't remember, that "_her_" saved your boyfriend's life and was one of his best friends! And just because she beat the crap out of you that one time—"

"James!" Logan exclaimed, looking horrified.

I never did get to finish my tirade, for the rest of the gang walked out of the restaurant.

"Is everything ok, guys?" Alli asked, looking at the three of us concernedly.

Camille huffed then walked away, closely followed by Logan. Deciding that it was better to not say anything in front of the girls, I just nodded my head before shooting a meaningful glance at Kendall and Carlos, both of whom picked up the significance immediately.

Holding Juliet's hand once more, I felt my mind plagued once again by thoughts of Leigh. I know what I saw. Leigh was back in town.

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**A/N: I hope you liked it! It was written quickly, so I apologize for any mistakes. It's really late where I live, but I wanted to have something up for you all. **

**There probably won't be an update for a while. School is SUPER chaotic and I really need to focus on it. So I'm sorry in advance! Hopefully I'll see you all soon. Let me know what you think about this chapter and if I portrayed the characters well! Thanks again for reading!**


	5. The Plot Thickens

**A/N: UGH! I'm sosososo sorry! My birthday was this past weekend so my best friends stayed with me for the weekend to help me celebrate. So, I didn't have much time to proofread what I had written prior to that weekend. So sorrrrry! I hope this chapter was worth waiting for.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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Chapter 3: The Plot Thickens

Leigh POV

Sunset. I never really understood the significance of this time of the day. Supposedly, the descent of daytime was important. My whole life, I had been told that the darkness was my friend, that it would cover my trail. If you asked me, it wasn't all that necessary. Actually, I thought it bordered on dramatic. But my father never consulted me on the matter, and as a result, we started our mission as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

Michelle dropped us off several miles away from the target site, following protocol. However, in doing so, it shrank our window of opportunity immensely. We had to work quickly if we wanted to pull this off. Increasing our pace, we made our way to our destination.

At first, everything went according to plan. We were making good time and managed to blend in with our surroundings. It was Friday, so many groups of people were out and about exploring the city. To the untrained eye, we appeared to be one of these groups, talking/signing about random topics, as if we were normal teens. If only the people who were around us knew the truth.

I first noticed the presence several blocks away from an apartment complex we passed by. It was called the Palm Woods, I think? Anyways, as soon as I noticed it, I eyed Riley. He didn't seem to feel the presence, his attention completely on AJ, pretending to understand her signs. AJ, too, appeared unfazed. Surely the two of them noticed. After contemplating it, I deduced that both Riley and AJ assumed this person wasn't a threat and were ignoring him or her. Deciding that I agreed with them, I too ignored the presence. Eventually, I found myself completely forgetting about it.

By now, the streets appeared deserted. But we still kept our guard up, knowing full well that growing careless, if it just a little, could result in death. Slowly, we approached the building looming ahead of us. We reached the door with no problems. Riley and I stood guard as AJ began to hack the door's security. Being the genius she was, AJ hacked the system in no time. With a quiet click, I heard the door open, followed by the nearly-silent footsteps of AJ and Riley as the entered the building. Remaining at my post, I continued to stare into the darkness, straining for any suspicious sounds.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but I would've guessed twenty minutes. It had been relatively quiet, and I was finding myself slacking off. Were it not for the distinct sound of a gun cocking, I would've been dead. Purely on instinct and reflex alone did I duck as the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang through the night. Quicker than the blink of an eye, I had my gun out, returning the shots. Seeking refuge as often as I could, I distanced myself farther and farther from the building, hoping to distract the shooter from the others.

It seemed to work. Bullet after bullet whizzed past me as I continued to shoot back.

By the time I ran out of bullets, I noticed that the assailant had grown silent. I remained in my hiding place, trying to stay as quiet as possible while the questions ran through my mind. Where did he go? Did he turn around? Are AJ and Riley safe? Did they hear the gunshots? Who was the shooter and how did he know where to find us?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure appear. The darkness concealed his features completely. I could tell he was incredibly tall, though, around Riley's height, even. Observing the outline of a gun in his hand, I deduced it was the shooter. And had I not used up all my ammo, I would've had a clear shot of him. I wanted to kick myself for making such a rookie mistake.

It was obvious he was looking for me, his gun swaying gently as he shifted his attention from one area to another. Suddenly, he quickly turned, pointing his gun away from me. Looking in the direction his gun was pointed in, I saw a new figure slowly emerge. The figure stopped under a streetlamp, the glow of the light casting a glow upon his features perfectly. His brown hair was shaggy, but not over the top. He wore shot bangs, accentuating his brownish/hazel eyes nicely. He was tall, but not freakishly tall. He had his toned arms wrapped around his obviously athletic body as he looked around curiously.

"Hello? Leigh?"

I felt my heart skip a few beats for two reasons. One, this boy knew my name. Two, there was something about his voice that felt so familiar.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it, for as soon after the discovery of the boy, I heard the sound of the shooter's gun cocking once more. The boy appeared to not notice the man in the shadows. I felt fear grip my heart, my pulse quickening. I didn't know why, but I felt this inexplicable need to protect him. Without thinking, I opened my mouth.

"Look out!"

A millisecond after the words come out of my mouth, I heard the shooter's gun go off. The boy ducked, the bullet barely missing him to my relief. My relief was short-lived, however, as the shooter whirled around, facing me. Localizing where he heard my voice, the man shot his gun. I felt the pain searing pain in my left arm, my _shooting _arm as I fell to the ground. The next few moments felt like they went incredibly slow. From the actual fall to the boy stupidly approaching me to the sounds of another gun going off, causing the man and boy to run away. Vaguely, I recognized a sense of relief as I saw AJ move past, pursuing the attacker as she fired away madly. My relief quickly changed to fear as a thought flickered across my mind. Where was Riley?

My question was answered quickly, for I soon felt a pair of arms wrap around me, gently flipping me over. I was met with Riley's face, his hazel eyes filled with concern. Wordlessly, he left the sleeve of my shirt up, assessing the wound. A few moments later, I heard him exhale loudly.

"You were only grazed," he breathed, his worries allayed, "But you are still losing way too much blood." I then heard the sound of ripping cloth, and saw Riley press what I assumed to be a part of his clothing firmly to my arm. Gritting my teeth, I did my best to remain still.

Out of my peripheral, I saw that AJ had returned, the shooter apparently escaping her. She looked down at Riley and me worriedly.

"She'll be ok," Riley stated, "She was only grazed, but we need to get her help as soon as possible. Text Michelle and tell her to come pick us up."

I could faintly make out AJ nodding her head, whipping out her phone. I'm not exactly sure what happened next. I must've blacked out momentarily, because the next thing I realize was that I was lying in the back of a car with Riley sitting next to my feet, leaning over me as he pressed the cloth to my wound. Riley's shirt was originally white, but the cloth that he held to my arm had transformed to a deep, red color. And from, the frown on his face and the furrow of his eyebrows, I could tell my bleeding hadn't lessened much.

I felt something shift under me, and I noticed that my head was in AJ's lap. I looked up at her and was slightly surprised by what I saw. To the untrained eye, AJ appeared to be normal. But I knew differently. Focusing my attention on her, I saw that the muscle in her neck was very tense as she stared straight ahead. By body position alone, I knew she was scared. Which doesn't happen to AJ often. But I could tell that she was thinking about the one thing that made her emotional: her mother. She was thinking about the night she lost her….the blood, the chaos, the…dying. I wasn't there, but I could imagine how traumatic it was for her. Ever since then, AJ has been very uneasy around blood. I felt guilty for putting her through this turmoil, especially since this all was the result of me being careless. I still didn't understand why I did what I did. But the feeling I felt was so _strong_…it was like it was physically impossible for me to deny it.

A sudden pain in my arm jarred me out of my reverie. I hissed in pain, my body automatically writhing in order to get away. Reflexively, I pushed myself off of AJ's lap. As soon as I sat upright, the inside of the car began to spin, and I could feel myself falling forward. But before I could fall too far forward, I felt two hands grip each of my shoulders, helping me sit up straight. I looked over at AJ, and immediately felt even worse as I felt the relief exude off of her.

"You're awake," she signed.

I nodded, instantly regretting the action as my world began to swim once more. Thankfully, it subsided fairly quickly.

"We're almost back," Riley muttered, almost growling.

What was that all about? I had no clue, but I had a feeling I'd find out very soon.

* * *

"What were you thinking? You could've been killed!" Riley demanded angrily as he stitched in the last of the butterfly stitches. By the time we reached home base, the blood flow had begun to lesson, so only butterfly stitches were necessary. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I was thinking that there was an innocent bystander who didn't deserve to die because he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll be sure not to make the same mistake again."

Riley looked at me incredulously. "Do you really expect me to believe you? You're crinkling your nose."

I eyed him weirdly. "Excuse me?"

"Your tell," he explained matter-of-factly, "You crinkle your nose whenever you lie."

No one had ever been able to tell me my tell. For a while there, I didn't think I had one. But, unless Riley was just bluffing, I had to accept that I truly had something that gave me away. I made a mental note to watch out for this reaction. I decided to test him further.

"Well, what other reason would I have, Riley? I have no reason to lie to you?"

A sad smile formed on his lips. "You're doing it again. Leigh."

I didn't know if it was the fatigue brought about by the blood loss, or if Riley was just pissing me off, but I felt myself explode. "I don't need to sit here and explain to _you_ my actions. Especially when I can tell you're not going to return the favor anytime soon."

He looked at me, his expression confused, "What are yo—"

"You don't think I haven't noticed how you've pretty much ignored me since you first got here?" I interjected, "Don't worry, I got the message: you don't want to talk about your personal life. That's fine, I could care less. But _don't _expect me to divulge mine."

I began to stalk away, but felt a hand encircle my wrist. I turned around, stink eye fully in place, but stopped halfway when I saw the expression on his face.

"Look, I'm sorry," he whispered, "It's just…I haven't really ever talked about my personal life. I find it very painful to think about, much less to say out loud."

I looked down. "I shouldn't have exploded like that. But the truth is I don't know _why _I did what I did. It was more like a dormant emotion, not logic that stirred me to do what I did."

Riley nodded. "Just…just be careful next time, ok?"

I was slightly taken aback, but bobbed my head up and down in response. I bade him a goodnight, and tried to pull my wrist out of his hand, but he didn't budge. Confused, I looked back up at him. His expression was unreadable, and without any warning, he leaned forward, pulling me into a hug. Emotionally spent, I felt myself melt into his embrace, realizing just how nice it felt to be touched in such a fashion.

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James POV

"Dude are you ok?" Carlos asked worriedly, taking in my disheveled appearance.

I plopped down on the couch, exhausted from all the running I just did. Holding my hands tightly together, I tried to calm down my trembling body.

Juliet sat down next to me, handing me a glass of water. Avoiding her eyes, I accepted the cup and gratefully drank it, allowing it to quench my parched throat.

"Yeah, you said you were going to meet us by the pool at seven, but you never showed. What happened?" Kendall added, looking down at me carefully.

Brianna stood next to her boyfriend, her head nodding vigorously in agreement as Kendall spoke.

"On my way to the pool, I saw Leigh again," I began, "With two other people. I saw them walk by the Palm Woods. I don't know why, but I followed them. I was gaining up on the, but I was stopped by a fan of Big Time Rush. And soon, a whole group of girls swarmed me. I managed to lose them, but in the process of doing so, I lost track of Leigh. Not knowing what else to do, I began searching the area. Shortly after I began looking, I heard the sound of gunshots near me. I walked over to where I thought I heard the shots, and called out for Leigh. The next thing I know is that I hear someone yell and then the sound of two gunshots. I ducked, and when I looked back up I saw someone fall to the ground. Without thinking, I stepped forward, but then I heard another series of shots. I saw a figure run away, followed by two more figures. One of them bent over to check on the one on the ground, and the other come toward me. Panicking, I ran way and returned here."

The facial reactions ranged from disbelief to exasperation, and even anger. I didn't even dare look at Juliet.

"Are you crazy?" Logan cried, "Leigh is _gone_, ok? Gone! She's not coming back, James. And you would do well to realize it before you get yourself killed!"

I knew that Logan was just trying to help me, _though harsh as he was,_ but his response must made me angry.

"Just lay off, would you?" I exclaimed, "I know it was Leigh. I know it!" I looked to the others, hoping to have at least one other person believe me. But I was mostly met with sympathy glances, except from Camille who was glaring at me. She and Alli were the only two people who responded differently from the others. But where Camille's was full of anger, Alli's was a bit more difficult to read. Her eyes were wide, her face paler than usual. Had I not been so angry, I would've questioned her reaction. But instead, I stood up and stormed out of the room. With a definitive slam of my door, I feel into my bed, trying to process what was going on.

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**A/N: Soooo, what'd you think? I hope you liked it! I know the girlfriends haven't really been in it, but they will be the next chapter or the chapter after that! And thanks to everyone who kept asking me when I was going to update, it definitely made me feel guilty enough to write faster. So thank you! I'll try to update soon, but no promises. Love you all!**


	6. Big Time Reunion

**A/N: Hey guys! New chapter, yay! I'm sorry that it's a little late. Anyways, thank you guys for the reviews and the support! I really appreciate it. And thanks to ****12345678987654321Fan for pointing out a major grammatical error in the last chapter. It's definitely one of those rules that you know it exists, but you forget about it, and it's already used incorrectly in speech, that most people don't notice. So, thank you for pointing it out, and maybe one day I will go change it. **

**I do apologize for grammatical errors, I really need to have someone proofread it for me because I always overlook mistakes when I proofread my own work. **

**Also, thanks to TheRescuer2 for helping me with AJ's dress. You'll understand in a few minutes. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even the Chinese Theatre! Though I wish I did.**

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Chapter 4: Big Time Reunion

Riley's POV

Standing in front of the mirror, I adjusted my tie one final time, making sure it was straight. A sigh escaped my lips as I gave myself one last look over, finally placing the mask onto my face. I couldn't believe that after everything we went through four nights ago, the item that we were assigned to take turned out to be a series of computer codes. Once everyone recovered from that night's mission, Michelle later informed us that the reason why we got those codes were so we could hack into the RSVP list of some masquerade party and put my, AJ's, and Leigh's name on it so we could get inside the Chinese Theatre. Apparently, a famous underground arms dealer was meeting with a member of a rival mob at the Theatre, and there was even a rumor of an exchange taking place. According to Michelle, the arms dealer had some type of weapon that could change the face of warfare forever.

Mask securely in place, I made my way downstairs to meet Leigh and AJ. I reached the first floor and immediately noticed I was the only one there. I began to chuckle. Even though Leigh and AJ were high trained mobsters, they still were girls, and therefore insisted on taking _forever_ to get ready. I sat down on a nearby chair and waited patiently for the two girls to come down.

The sound of light footsteps caused me to look over at the staircase. My mother's etiquette lessons kicking in, I stood up and waited for whomever it was. I felt my heart rate increase slightly as I saw Leigh descend the staircase. Her long dark hair, which was normally straight, cascaded down her shoulders in loose curls. Her dress was a dark burgundy color and strapless, which allowed the color of the dress to accentuate her pale skin beautifully. The dress hugged her body closely, before it flowed out from her waist until it reached the floor. Her mask matched her dress, bringing out the intensity of her dark green eyes. Like my own mask, hers did not completely cover her face, which allowed me to see her lips turn up into a smile as she approached me.

"You clean up nicely," she observed.

Resisting the urge to gulp, I smirked at her. "As do you." I then looked back at the staircase. "Is AJ almost ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she should be down momentarily."

True to Leigh's word, AJ walked down the stairs soon after, looking very lovely as well. Like Leigh, AJ wore a strapless dress. But where Leigh's was burgundy, AJ's was a royal blue with a single black band going around her body. Her dress was also shorter than Leigh's, going a little past her knees. She wore black strapless shoes, the heel not too high, but not too low either. She, too, had her hair down, with the ends of her hair curled Her bangs remained the same and still covered a part of her right eye, but in place of her eye was a mask, which matched her dress.

AJ walked over to where Leigh and I stood, her gait quite stiff.

"You look lovely, AJ," I complimented. Rigidly, she signed what I hoped was a thank you before stalking off toward the limo we had called for. I looked over at Leigh for an explanation. She merely shrugged.

"She's not one for getting dolled up. It makes her feel exposed.'

"What about you?"

Again, Leigh shrugged. "It's not my cup of tea, but I've learned to block out my discomfort."

"Fair enough."

The honk of a car horn reminded us of our assignment. Silently, the two of us got in the limousine and headed to the Chinese Theatre.

* * *

AJ's POV

The three of us managed to get inside the theatre using our fake names successfully. Leigh and Riley were posing as an up and coming musical group and were providing some of the musical entertainment. I came as Leigh's guest, so I was able to wander around and ID the weapons guy while Riley played the piano and Leigh sang.

Though I'm not one for crowds, I was thankful to be amid one tonight. It allowed me to walk around without drawing too much attention to myself. Inconspicuously, I watched the people dancing around, hoping to find some clue. Since it was a masquerade, facial ID was impossible. Which was fine with me. I have a tendency to read into other things in order to make my ID: movement, behavior, stature…things that couldn't be easily hidden.

However, in my attempts of getting a positive ID on our guy, I neglected to see this guy quickly walking towards me. I guess he also didn't notice for he collided into me straight on. I staggered, but he reached out and steadied me.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" the boy stammered, "I didn't see you there. Are you ok?"

'Yeah, I'm fine,' I signed, figuring he would just leave once he realized I couldn't talk.

"You're mute?" he asked, clearly surprised.

'Yeah. How did you know?'

"Well, since you started using American Sign Language, I came up with three theories: 1) you're deaf 2) you're mute 3) you're one of those people who pretends to be deaf when they don't want to talk to strangers **(A/N: I've seriously considered doing this)**. So, since you responded to my verbal question, I knew you weren't deaf. And, you don't appear to be one of those people who would just pretend to be deaf, especially with how natural you're signing seems to be. So, I came to the conclusion that you were mute."

This guy was way too perceptive. It made me uncomfortable. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to bluff.

'Well, maybe I'm really good at reading lips.'

The boy shook his head. "I'm really bad at annunciating. Plus, you weren't even looking at me when I apologized."

_Damn. _

"LOGAN! Where are you, my love?" a shrill voice called out.

"Gah! Camille," the boy, who now has been identified as Logan exclaimed. "I have to hide!"

I spotted a tall plant with a lot of foliage. Thinking fast, I grabbed Logan by the wrist and shoved him into the hiding place. Moments later, a brunette walked over to me, looking around anxiously.

"Have you seen Logan? He has spiky brown hair and _gorgeous_ brown eyes. He's kind of on the short side and a bit scrawny."

'Nope, never seen him.'

The girl, Camille, gave me a weird look.

"HAVE YOU SEEN LOGAN? HE HAS BROWN HAIR AND BROWN EYES. HE'S ALSO KIND OF SHORT AND SCRAWNY," she yelled, assuming that I just couldn't hear her.

Before I could unleash a series of rather colorful signs on her, a policeman approached us.

"Excuse me, miss? I'm going to have to ask you to lower your voice."

"But I'm trying to find my _hott_ boyfriend, and she can't hear me!" Camille answered, pointing at me. The cop then turned his face to look at me.

'Please get this psycho away from me!' I signed emphatically.

The cop then turned back to Camille, his voice sharp. "Did you ever consider the fact that maybe she's _deaf_?"

Camille's mouth formed a perfect O shape, the realization sinking in. Without another response, she pushed past me. I looked to the cop and thanked him. He nodded, then returned to his post. I waited a few minutes before I went and retrieved Logan. Once he was out of his hiding place, I began signing to him.

'How did you learn to read sign anyways?'

"Well, my friend Kendall knows how to read and sign it since he has a family member who's deaf. So whenever we found Lei—" Logan cleared his throat, a pained expression forming on his face. "We then met a girl at the Palm Woods who was mute, so Kendall would translate what she said. But after a while, you just kind of pick up on it, you know? But after she…left, I started taking sign language classes because I found the language so fascinating."

There was a pause, the space filled with nothingness. Apparently it made Logan uncomfortable, because he shot his hand out in front me. "I'm Logan, by the way."

'AJ' I signed before shaking his hand. Looking at his face, I couldn't help but notice how cute Logan was. Cute face, cute hair, cute personality. This guy was the total package. Yet, meeting this guy just reminded me of what I can _never _have thanks to this stupid mob business.

"That's a cool necklace," he suddenly said. Reflexively, my hand went to the pendant I was wearing. I felt the cool blue stone against the pads of my fingers as I rubbed it self-consciously.

I felt tears began to well up in my eyes as I signed, "It was my mother's."

He noticed the change in my demeanor immediately, but before he could comment, two figures approached us.

"Are you ok, AJ?" Riley asked.

I nodded, taking control of my emotions. Leigh placed her hand on my shoulder, almost as if she sensed what had happened.

"Riley and I just finished our set," Leigh explained, "And we were just looking for you."

'Ok, great," I signed, going along with the script we had planned. I then turned to Logan, "Well, it was great meeting you."

I then noticed Leigh's grip on my shoulder tightening. Curiously, I looked over at her. Her face was extremely pale, which is a very hard feat for people with our heritage to accomplish. She began to shake, her green eyes staring at Logan. He looked at her with concern on his face.

"Is she ok?" he asked.

"She's fine." Riley responded. "Leigh here just doesn't like crowds very much, do you Leigh?"

"Your name is Leigh?" Logan inquired, his eyes wide. Slowly, Leigh nodded. Logan was about to say something else, when six figures walked up.

"Hey Logan, is everything ok? We thought we heard Camille screaming from this area," a tall brunette boy asked.

"Yeah James," Logan responded slowly almost as if he were distracted, "Everything's fine. Hey, listen…I want you guys to meet my new friends. AJ, Riley, and _Leigh._

"Leigh?" the three boys echoed in disbelief.

"How funny! Wasn't your friend named Leigh?" Brianna asked.

I didn't get to hear the rest of the conversation, because there was a sudden tug on my arm as Leigh dragged Riley and me away as quickly as she could. When we finally made it outside, Leigh sat herself down on the ground, her body visibly trembling.

I was getting worried. 'Leigh? What's wrong?'

"I'll go get her some water," Riley offered as he made his way back inside.

Sitting down next to my best friend, I placed my arm around her shoulders. 'What happened in there?'

She looked up at me, her pupils dilated. "I.." she started out, trying to collect her thoughts. "I know those boys, AJ. I'm not sure how, but I _know _them. We have to get back and talk to Michelle."

"What about the weapon dealer? We still haven't found him."

Leigh used me to steady herself as she stood up. "Screw it! That doesn't matter anymore! I _need _to figure out what the hell is happening here."

Before I could persuade her otherwise, Leigh stormed away. Even though I knew this would result in big time trouble from Leigh's father, I followed her.

"Hey guys! What's going on? Wait up!" Riley called out as he tried to catch up with us. When he finally did catch up with us, Leigh was in her own little world, not even acknowledging us. With a confused Riley in tow, the three of us made our way back to home base. Michelle and some explaining to do, and I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be pretty.

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**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! So what did you think? Oh, and Riley is totally not a creeper. I kind of feel like he sounds that way when I'm describing what AJ and Leigh are wearing through he POV. But I really only did that so you guys would know. So anyways, apologies to Kaleb if I did his character injustice.**

**Did you guys like the switch of POV. Someone asked me if I would change it up. I had been planning on it, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to stay in character. So let me know what you think! And the next chapter will be in other characters' POV, I promise!**


	7. Author's Note, Please Read

**Hi guys. I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm very sorry. But it's been a very rough two weeks for me, and to be honest, I haven't had the spirit to write for this story. And this week and the next are going to be rough as well, so I ask that you would give me until next weekend to update. I'm very sorry, but I promise I'm not putting this story on hold. Things have been happening that are not allowing me to get in the right mindset for Big Time Reunion. So again, I do apologize.**


	8. We've Got a Good Thing

**A/N: I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed you! ****I know it's been a while, but it's been a rough two or three weeks for me. But I'm so very thankful that you guys understood why I didn't update. I'll try not go to as long in the future, but school is winding down for me, so all the teachers are piling homework/tests/projects/presentations last minute, which really stinks! Grrr. But if I don't update that's why. **

**OH! And you guys seriously need to check out the story "A Day in the Life of Riley O'Connor" by OnlyAfterMidnight. There are two chapters that go hand in hand with Big Time Reunion. Especially the second chapter. But I think you guys should read it so you can have a better understanding of the character Riley. Both chapters are very well written, so please go check it out and leave Kaleb lovely comments about it! **

**So, those of you who have alerted this story probably have seen this update three times. Sorry! I, for some reason, kept messing up stuff and had to go change it. And special shout out to packrat17 for catching a HUGE mistake that totally conflicted with Big Time Mystery. How embarrassing, but it happens, right lol? Anyways, sorry again for all the e-mails about this chapter!**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

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Chapter 5: We've Got a Good Thing

Logan's POV

I just couldn't believe it. James was right. Leigh was back. But question is…why? After two years, why would she be back? And more importantly, why did she act the way she did when she saw us? Kendall's voice brought me back to reality.

"Tell me that just didn't happen. That couldn't have been Leigh, could it?"

I tore my gaze away from the direction Leigh and her friends left in, and looked at Kendall. "I think it was. I mean, did you see her eyes? And her reaction to us wasn't exactly normal, was it?"

"Well, we should go after them, then!" Carlos exclaimed. He then proceeded to march past me and toward the door. My hand shot out to grab him by his jacket, and firmly, I yanked him back.

"Logan!" Carlos whined, "What's your problem? Let's gooo!"

I sighed exasperatedly. "Really, Carlos?" I then leaned over and whispered, "Don't you remember why Leigh left in the first place?"

"Yeah she was kidna-ohhhhh," Carlos responded, finally making the connections.

"Yeah, ohhhhh," I mimicked, "Not exactly safe."

Kendall turned to our dates. "Ladies! If you will excuse the four of us, we need to have a little chat."

Brianna nodded enthusiastically, obviously not understanding the gravity of the situation. Juliet gave us a small, but sad smile as her response. Like Brianna, Alli nodded, only hers was much slower. It was hard determining what she thought of what just happened, her eyes and body language were impossible to read. I disregarded it though, assuming she was just as confused as the guys and I were.

Promising we'd find them soon, the guys and I walked to a more secluded area. As soon as we deduced we were out of earshot, Kendall turned to me.

"So you think they were on mob business?"

I nodded. "I do."

"What do we do, then?" Carlos asked.

"We leave her alone," James, who had been silent up until now, replied, "She obviously doesn't want anything to do with us anymore."

I inspected James. Though his words were harsh and bitter, his appearance was anything but. His face had gone pale, which was so foreign on his normally tan face. His hands were jammed into his pocket, but I thought I could detect the slightest tremble. Normally, I would've concluded this was due to being shocked, but his eyes told me a different story. I saw a sadness so deep, so intense that his naturally clear hazel eyes now appeared stormy. I've known James for almost all of my life, and never had I seen him act like this. I looked at Kendall and Carlos, and they too seemed to notice James' unusual behavior.

"Are you ok, James?" I asked, concerned.

He eyed me weirdly. "What? Of course. I mean, I'm stunned that we saw Leigh and she just walked away from us, but who isn't?"

I wanted to press him for more information. Sure, we were all upset about Leigh leaving again, but there was something about James' reaction that made me think there was more to the story. But I knew if I continued to ask, he would shut down completely and that was the last thing we needed to happen.

"James makes a good point," Kendall chimed in, letting James off the hook.

I nodded. "Agreed. I think it's for the best that we put that part of our lives behind us once and for all."

"But Leigh's our friend!" Carlos interjected. "We can't just deny that. Think of all she did for us."

"Carlos, look at us. We can't even go on a proper _date_ without thinking about her. It's not right. We're extremely lucky that the girls haven't left us out to dry…especially after these past few days. We've got a good thing, now. We _can't _let our past friendship with Leigh ruin that." James fired back, adamant about his stance.

Carlos looked down at his shoes. "I guess you guys are right."

I patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You're right, though. She did do a lot for us and we should always be grateful for her sacrifice. But we have to move on. It's been two years."

"So we're all agreed, then?" Kendall questioned us once more, "Do we all agree to drop the Leigh matter once and for all?"

I glanced over at Carlos, and to my relief I saw him move his head up and down solemnly.

"Ok," I stated, looking down at my watch. "I say we call it a night. Let's find the girls and go home."

My three friends concurred, and we began looking for our dates. As soon as I found Camille, she ran up to me, slapped me, then hugged me before launching into her story about looking for me. She continued to talk as we made our way to the limo, and even continued gabbing away as we drove of. I found my mind wandering. I thought a lot about Leigh, but then my thoughts drifted back to the girl I met while hiding from Camille.

AJ. I couldn't help but think about her. She was so beautiful and mysterious, much like the moon. But I found myself frowning. Something told me she wasn't born mute. And if she was in the mob…I restrained myself from shuttering. If she truly wasn't born mute….what could have possibly happened to make her mute? Maybe she tried to leave the mob like Leigh did. She didn't strike me as being that kind of person. There was just something about her that I couldn't quite place my finger on. She seemed…complicated. I wished I could've had the chance to get to know her. But that'll never happen. Even if I did try to go look for her, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are simply just too many people in this city. And even if I did magically find her…it would be too risky.

"Logan?" I heard Camille say, "Did you hear anything I said?"

I looked over at my girlfriend, hoping that my face didn't contradict me as I replied, "Of course I did."

Satisfied, she continued yammering away and I found my mind going back to AJ once more.

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Alli's POV

"Are you ok, Carlos?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He leaned against my apartment door. "Yeah, totally."

I stared at him, my face telling him that I didn't believe him. Seeing that I wasn't going to give up, he relented.

"No. I'm just sad about Leigh."

"Are you sure that was even her? I mean, you told me she was blonde," I responded. Again, I already knew the answer, but I needed evidence.

Carlos sighed sadly as he stuck his hand in his jacket pocket. He pulled out his wallet, and began digging through it. Finding what he was looking for, he fished it out, and handed it to me. I took the item from his hand and discovered it to be a picture. I looked down at it and felt my heart skip a beat.

"I took this photo while she wasn't paying attention one day." He then cringed, "Ok, that sounds a little creepy but let me explain..."

I didn't hear what else Carlos said, for I was too focused on the picture he showed me. I knew that girl. I knew that face, that hair…those eyes. Yes, I knew that girl all _too _well. I just couldn't believe that my childhood friends somehow crossed paths with _her_, of all people.

"I know, I know…they make look like two different people to you, but if you actually _knew _Leigh—" Carlos started to explain before I cut him off.

"No, I believe you," I replied quietly. "I'm just sorry she hurt you guys so much."

Carlos shook his head fervently. "No, she didn't do on purpose. I just know it!"

I smiled reassuringly at my friend. "Of course she didn't." I then looked down at my cell phone. "It's getting late, I should probably get inside."

Carlos smiled as he stepped away from the door. "Of course."

I got out my keys and unlocked the door. Before going in, I turned to Carlos. "Goodnight."

His smile got even wider as I leaned forward and hugged me tightly. I was caught off guard momentarily, but managed to reciprocate.

"Thanks for listening, Alli," he murmured into my ear.

"Anytime, Carlos." I responded, trying to force my heart to stop beating erratically.

He then let go, gave me another one of his grins, and went home. Once my heart stopped thumping in my chest, I went inside my apartment, going straight to the computer. As quick as a flash, I found myself in professional mode.

I was risking a lot by doing this, but I knew I had to.

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**A/N: So…whaddya think? I hope you liked it! It's been a while, so it was kind of weird trying to get back into the mood of this story. I'm hoping it'll become more natural for me in the next chapter. And if there are a lot of mistakes and such, I'm very sorry. I wrote this chapter pretty quickly because I wanted something up for you guys this weekend. But please let me know what you thought! Love you guys!**


	9. Epiphany

**A/N: I know…I fail. Royally. I'm sorry! Things are just so busy and stressful. But here's the new chapter and it's really long…we cool?**

**I want to give a major shout out and THANK YOU to Kaleb, for helping me write this chapter. You're awesome!**

**Oh, and I have two important questions to ask you guys, so please look for it at the end of the chapter. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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Chapter 6: Epiphany

Leigh POV

Thankfully, our ride was close by, so we were able to return to base quickly. Within the span of twenty minutes AJ, Riley, and I were inside, greeted by a demanding Michelle.

"Did you g—" she started to ask. But before she could finish her sentence, I raised my hand, signaling her to stop talking. She complied, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Now, Michelle," I began calmly, "You can either make this easy and just tell me what happened, or you can play dumb and make this…_interesting._"

Michelle's frown grew more pronounced. "What are you—"

"Four boys," I interjected, "There were four boys at the Chinese Theatre today. They seemed to know me _all _to well, and yet, I only have a vague inkling of who they are. Care to tell me why that is?"

Michelle's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but then closed it. Finally getting over the initial shock, she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I didn't respond to her statement. I could see in her eyes that empty threats wouldn't work on her. So I decided on a _different_ tactic.

Before anyone could react, I had Michelle pinned up against the wall, the flat side of my knife kissing her skin. We were roughly the same height, but after years of training, I easily held her in place.

"Leigh!" Riley called, the astonishment evident in his voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see AJ take a step forward.

"Don't!" I ordered. "Both of you…_stay out of this_."

In the midst of my anger, I could briefly feel a sense of gratefulness when I saw neither of them come closer. Giving Michelle, my undivided attention, I pressed the cold metal against her neck, applying a slight amount of pressure. She shivered involuntarily.

"I told you not to play dumb," I chastised, "Now talk."

She remained silent, her gaze defiant. Turning the blade, I made sure the tip of the knife was touching her neck. She gasped and I could see tiny drops of blood collect around my knife tip.

"Okay, okay!" Michelle cried, finally caving in. "I'll tell you."

My grip on Michelle lessened, and patiently awaited her to tell her story.

"You see, four years ago, you successfully ran away after your brother murdered Eric."

"But…I killed him, not Aidan," I responded sharply, the mention of Eric's death causing my heart to clench.

Michelle sighed. "No, it was Aidan. Perhaps by the time I finish telling you what happened, you're memory will be fully restored." She then inhaled, before starting her narration, "To this day, none of us really know where you went for the first year and a half. Every time your father and brother seemed to have a lock on you, you managed to slip through their fingers. But eventually, they found you in Los Angeles. You see, Eric's father was after you because he thought you killed his son and he wanted to get his revenge. And apparently he almost succeeded. Your brother confronted you once he actually knew where you were, offering you sanctuary. You refused at first, and even left the city. But a few days after you fled, you called your family trading yourself to help these four boys who were captured by Eric's father. They agreed, and the boys escaped safely. You, on the other hand, weren't so fortunate. You came out of it with very serious injuries and had to stay at the hospital for a few weeks. It was during this time your family hired me. Through my connections at the hospital you were staying at, I managed to get them inside, and you out without anyone noticing. But that wasn't the extent of my job." Michelle paused, collecting her thoughts, before continuing.

"You really were a complete mess, and needed copious amounts of pain medication. It was easy, really."

I felt my heart beat faster. "What was?" I choked out.

"To make you forget about everything," she replied coolly, emotionlessly. "Once we deduced you were strong enough, we deprived you of everything. Time, light, food, water, sound, people…you had no concept of reality. Especially with all the medicine you were on. If I were a betting woman, I'd say that it was the trip of all trips. We kept you in that state for days, and finally, we restored your senses. Well, you can imagine after spending days like that, a person would come out of it a different person. You were insane, and for a while after, I thought we might've left you in there for too long. But you pulled through, and after you were yourself again, you asked as about these four boys. And we lied to you, and after days of you questioning us, we finally were able to convince you it was all a dream. We fed you some convoluted story of how killing Eric caused you to become temporarily insane and you _bought it_."

In hindsight, I realized that what I did next was wrong. But, I felt so betrayed and so angry, that I lost control and didn't care about the consequences.

Blinded by rage, I swung at Michelle.

**

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**

Riley POV

I jumped forward as soon as the fists started flying, seeing blood pouring from the scientist's nose already. While I couldn't even imagine what Leigh must have been going through at the moment, I couldn't allow her to send Michelle into a coma. AJ seemed to be thinking the same thing as she too made a grab for Leigh's arms. Once I managed to pull her back, holding her off the ground with my arms wrapped around her shoulder, AJ moved forward to assist Michelle, who was now sprawled out on the floor, barely conscious. I took a few steps back before releasing the writhing Leigh from my grip, who turned to shoot me a glare before darting out the door. I wanted to stop her, but Michelle needed to be taken care of first.

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Riley POV

As soon as Michelle was bandaged up, I told AJ to stay with her so that she didn't wake up and start going berserk, much to her disapproval. I knew AJ and Leigh were especially close, and I hadn't known them as long nor did I come close to sharing a connection half as close as they, but I felt I needed to be the one to do this. So I took a car and left to try and find Leigh. I had two daggers, good for throwing if needed tucked in the back of my belt. Just in case someone else wanted to come find her. I knew that if anything, they would surely try to beat the hell out of her, eye for an eye kind of deal, and I wasn't about to let that happen. I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to say or do when I found her, but at the moment actually finding her seemed to be distracting me from those thoughts.

It didn't take as long as I had planned, only thirty or so minutes before my car came to a slow halt, a familiar figure sitting on a park swing with their head hung low not far away. I stared at her from the window of the car for a few minutes, thinking over and over in my head of what to say with out getting a super mafia kick in the nuts. I sighed, rubbing a hand on the back of my head before killing the engine and getting out, locking the car as I left and made my way across the park. As I came towards Leigh I stopped at the edge of the sandbox that the swing set was in, crossing my arms as I looked towards her. She had each hand hanging on to the chains that held the swing, but her head was hung low so that her long hair created a curtain from her and the rest of the world.

"You're not taking me back there," came her shaky voice, sensing a presence standing before her. I uncrossed my arms and made my way over, taking a seat at the swing to the left of her.

"I had no intention."

She looked up, a hint of surprise in her watery, bloodshot eyes. I don't think she expected to see me there, that or she didn't expect that I wasn't going to drag her back. She returned to hanging her head, avoiding looking at me and a silence settled between us, the only noises heard were of the people leaving the park as the sun readied to set and the slight creak of the chains from the slight rocking of the swings. After several long moments I looked over to her, my hands holding the chains on the swing I was sitting at in a similar fashion.

"I can't come close to thinking of what you're going through right now," I started, earning a small scoffing noise from her in return.

"But maybe it was for the better."

Leigh finally looked up, bright anger showing in her face as another tear streaked down her cheek.

"For the better? You're saying it's for the better that they manipulated my mind, shattered my memories and took friends away from me?"

I stayed silent, deciding it best to let her finish before I looked back up at her.

"No, not in that way. I'm saying that sometimes it's better not to remember anything."

A brief look of confusion came to her face, though anger was still present when I turned my head away to stare forward. My hand came up to touch lightly at the X shaped scar on the right of my neck before lowering to my chest where my mother's necklace pressed lightly to my skin under my shirt.

"You have no idea what I'd give to..."

I paused a moment, blinking before hesitantly looking over to her, sadness evident on my face.

"To forget."

Again, there was a brief silence before I felt a pair of fingers touching my scar, raising my head to see Leigh staring at me. Her crying had settled a little, and she looked like she was calming down.

"What'd they do to you?"

She finally asked, her tone sounding something like 'you know what they did to me, so how about you?' I opened my mouth to talk, though found it more difficult then I had originally planned and lowered my head slightly before looking away.

"My father did this, the same way you would brand livestock, when I was fourteen. I was crying, showing weakness, so he and a few of his men did this to teach me a lesson about weakness. I'm allergic to pain medications, so after it was done they didn't give me any."

Pausing I looked up, scoffing slightly with a saddened, crooked smirk on my face.

"I don't think they would have anyways."

Feeling her gaze still on my scar, I looked towards her, her hand now resting on my shoulder. The setting sun was starting to cast an orange glow over the whole park, contrasting the shadows and highlights over Leigh's face as she stared at me.

"Why were you crying?"

I had forgotten my original objective was to come here and soothe Leigh, not talk about my past, though it seemed that so far it was working. However I looked back to her, a bit apprehensive, still hesitant on being so open. Eventually, though, I gave in.

"Because they took me away from my mother, after we watched my father kill a man for the first time."

Leigh moved to lower her hand from my shoulder, but I caught it to keep it in place. There was no questioning, only now a more comfortable silence came between us, one of understanding, though I felt she wanted to question why I didn't resent him like she did her father. I could only imagine now what she was going to do when she got back to base, or what she would do if she ever saw those boys again.

"If it would make you feel any better, I could stick Michelle to a wall and let you throw darts at her," I said humorously, trying to lighten the mood slightly, or at least help Leigh feel better. I succeeded, if just a little, as I got a small laugh in response.

"Oh, my dream come true," came her sarcastic reply before she looked up at me smiling lightly, a look which I returned. It was at this moment that Leigh reached up to wipe at her eyes with her sleeves, getting the remains of the tears off her cheeks.

"I must look so stupid," she thought aloud, looking to me as I shrugged lightly.

"Nah, some displays of emotion are meant to be seen, even for us."

She scoffed under her breath, slouching in her swing as her hands returned to holding the chains on either side, her gaze lowering to the ground once more.

"Yeah right, like what?"

Her question was empty, like she didn't expect a response at all, and she and I both knew emotions had to be kept tightly under wraps, but for this moment that wasn't the case. Silently, I reached out, taking the chain of her swing in my hand and pulling it over before holding my hands over hers that were gripping the chains, to keep them in place. In hindsight, I think I did that to make sure she didn't hit me.

Leigh gave me a questioning look, and was about to ask me something though I never gave her the chance. Leaning forward I closed my eyes and pressed my lips lightly to hers, feeling the slight jump of surprise from her though I didn't move. Neither did she.

I really hope she was closing her eyes, because I can't imagine how red I must've been.

I broke the kiss, looking to Leigh for a reaction. Her eyes fluttered opened, landing on mine.

I'm not sure what reaction I was expecting; all I know is that I felt my heart sink a little when I saw her eyes widen, the realization sinking in. She looked so stunned, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming Ford truck.

"I-I'm sorry, I…" I stammered, looking away from her in an attempt to hide the blush that was surely appearing on my face. I began standing up to leave, but I felt Leigh's fingers curl around my wrist. I couldn't bring myself to look back at her.

"No…it's ok," she whispered, her voice shaky, "It's just…I need some time to think about everything."

I nodded. "Of course."

She squeezed my wrist gently, as a sign of thanks. Instantly, the sensation was gone as she let go of me. The swing creaked as Leigh stood up as well, and together we silently made our way to my car.

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**A/N: Ok, first question: Who do you think Leigh should end up with: James or Riley? Please let me know, I'm very curious!**

**Second question: Did you guys like that I had someone co-write this chapter? Did it flow well? I thought it was fun, and I sort of want to start doing it with the characters' creators (if they want to help, of course). I know a few of them have given me ideas for their character's storyline, and I would love to incorporate them somehow. So, let me know!**

**I really hope you liked this chapter! I don't know when I'll update next…hopefully it'll be soon! Thank you so much for reading, you guys are amazing! **


	10. Family Matters

**A/N: Heeeey guys…I'm back! Sorry I was gone for so long. Again. But my mom was sick, and then I had finals, and then I was sick (and still am…blegh). I'm so sorry! But here's the newest chapter, and a major shoutout to ****crazedreader96akajetli for helping me with this chapter, as well as giving me all kinds of ideas to use in the future. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Chapter 7: Family Matters

Alli's POV

I had her. It took some time, and a few favors, but I finally managed to track her down. I wasn't sure how I was going to confront her; I just hoped that once my eyes rested on her, my fury would do all the talking for me. I memorized the location, and left my apartment.

As I waited for the elevator to reach the lobby, I found myself wondering why I was doing this. For years I have managed to remain out of sight, and potentially I was going to attract all kinds of unwanted attention by talking to her. But every time I closed my eyes, I would see _him._ I would see his big dark brown eyes moist with unshed tears. I would see a frown that seemed to deepen with each day, rather than that 100-watt smile I've always loved. It truly broke my heart to know he was hurting so much because of _her._

The elevator door opened, and before I could step out, the boy I had just been thinking about collided into me. Though I'm 5'9", the force of the collision caused me to hit the ground.

"Alli? Oh, gosh I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" I heard Carlos ask as I felt two hands wrap around me and help me back up. As soon as I was steady, Carlos let go, eyeing me worriedly. Slightly dazed, I placed my hand on my head and looked at the Latino, trying to not melt at all the attention he was giving me.

"I'm fine. It's alright." I responded. There was a pregnant pause, then my eyes widened as a realized why Carlos was now looking at me strangely. Reflexively, my hand flew to my mouth.

"Did…did you just talk with an accent?" Carlos questioned, clearly perplexed. I wanted to slap myself. Silently chastising myself for my faux pas, I let my hand drop to my side and I smiled widely at Carlos.

"Oh, that? That was nothing _at all_. I guess I banged my head harder than I thought, huh?" I forced out a laugh, hoping that he'd leave it at that. But by the look on his face, I knew he wanted to interrogate me further. But before he even had the chance to say anything, I cut him off.

"Well, I best be going now. I'm late for an appointment."

And with that, I sped out of the lobby, leaving a confused Carlos behind.

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Alli's POV

I let out a frustrated sigh when I realized she wasn't there. It took a lot of work and stealth to avoid all the security personnel at this location, and it was all for naught. As I looked through the window, I saw three figures: one tall dark-haired male, a female with brown hair and blonde highlights**,** and a shorter, red headed female. It looked like they were arguing about something, judging by the jerky gestures they were making with their hands. The redhead looked pretty beat up, she sported a big black eyes and her right arm was in a sling, as well as a bandage around her head. Despite being so damaged, she was poking the male in his chest with her good hand, her face presumably red from shouting. In response, the guy seemed to be shouting as well, as he pointed toward a door. The other girl, though not yelling or talking, seemed to be siding with the tall male, her eyes shooting daggers toward the woman.

I didn't stay for much longer, knowing that I had no need to be there. As I crept away, I remembered the countless times Carlos talked about her. Though none of the boys ever talked about her when they were together, Carlos would mention her often to me. The haunted looks on his face alone inspired me to continue my search, even though I no longer had a solid lead. The only thing I had was her alleged favorite spot, at least according to Carlos.

It took me about twenty minutes on foot to reach the place, and when I peered through the window I was once again disappointed. Deciding that there was no way I'd find her, I decided to go back to my apartment and conduct further research. But not ten minutes of walking had past, when something on the other sidewalk across the street caught my eye. Turning, I got a better look and almost couldn't believe it. As if Lady Luck were shining down on me, there was the person I had been looking for all morning, walking in the opposite direction and away from me.

After quickly checking the road for cars, I darted across the street. Swiftly, I approached the lone figure and as soon as she was in reach, I grabbed her wrist.

"It's been a while, Katherine," I stated casually.

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Leigh POV

"It's been a while Katherine," I heard a feminine voice behind me say as I felt a tug on my wrist. I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for this recent event. I already had too much preoccupying my mind; I didn't need this. Though I didn't recognize the voice, I knew she had to have been part of the family, since no one outside of its tight loop knew of my birth name. I stood still, knowing that the last thing either of us wanted was attention. Discreetly, I pulled my wrist out of her purchase and turned around. As I faced the person in question, I felt genuine shock course through my body.

"Allessandra? Is that you?" I asked, stupefied. She didn't respond, her blue-green eyes piercing through me. I could tell she was angry about something. I looked around at our surroundings before returning my gaze on her.

Lowering my voice, I muttered, "Look, whatever you want to talk about, let's do it somewhere more privately." Not waiting for her to respond, I began walking. Sensing her presence behind me, I led her to the one place I knew we could talk with interruption.

Since I discovered the truth about what happened two years ago, my memory has sorted itself out. And one of the first memories I got back was a restaurant named Madam Wok's. It was one of the few places where I felt safest when I was in L.A. I completely trusted the owner, knowing she'd never betray me.

It didn't take us long to get there, but it felt like a ton of weight was lifted off of my shoulders as soon as the restaurant doors closed behind us. To my relief, I saw Madam Wok approach us. Her eyes clearly showed no recognition of me; I figured my now-dark hair was the cause. I began speaking to her in Mandarin and after a pithy exchange, I managed to jog her memory. She smiled pleasantly at us and led us to the back room of the restaurant. She left as soon as we were situated, promising to return with the menu. When I was certain she had left, I focused my attention on Allessandra.

"I take it this isn't one of those happy family reunion type scenarios." I prompted, knowing she wouldn't beat around the bush.

"You've got a lot of nerve, you know." I quirked my eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't follow." She sighed, rubbing her temple with her finger.

"You leave Carlos, Kendall, Logan, and James without _any _explanation, only to return two years later unannounced. Don't you realize how much they _care_ about you?"

I clenched my fist, getting more and more infuriated by the minute. "Look Allessandra, the past day has been _hell_ for me. And the last thing I need is for you to come in pointing fingers, especially when you don't know the whole story."

Allessandra shrugged. "Doesn't seem like there's much to it, if you ask me. You were on some mob-related business, used the boys for your own personal gain, and left as soon as you got what you wanted. You always _were_ good at obeying your father's orders."

I gritted my teeth. "For your information, I actually ran _away_. You're not the only one who didn't like mob life. And for the record, I was _taken_ by the mob against my own free will. I would _never_ have left them."

She sighed again, pinching the brim of her nose. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but you need to find them and tell them that yourself."

I stared at her in disbelief. "What? Are you crazy?"

"Maybe so. But you need to listen to me and listen well, Katherine. That night they saw you at the Chinese Theatre…it changed a lot. I'd never seen them like that before. They all think you left them of your own free will. They need to know what happened. I know that they understand your "profession", so to speak. I'm not about to be a mediator. You and you alone need to do this. It'll be up to them to forgive you." She pushed her chair back, and stood up. "And one more thing, I managed to make it out and stay out. Maybe you can do the same." Without another word, my cousin walked to the door, opened it, and disappeared out of my sight.

I slammed my fist on the table. "Damn it!" I was beyond frustrated at this point. I didn't know if I could face them, especially James, after all that's happened. Would they even believe me? And if they do manage to forgive me, where do James and I stand? Truth be told, ever since I got my memory back, he was all I could think about. Well, he and Riley. Riley and I may not always see eye to eye on some things, but there is definitely some undeniable chemistry between us. And he is perhaps one of the few people (besides Allessandra and AJ), who understand what it's like to be me. That kind of understanding is important to me. _Really_ important to me.

Standing up, I made my way to the door. I shot Madam Wok an apologetic smile as I sped past her and out of the restaurant. As I walked "home", I thought long and hard about what I needed to do. By the time I arrived, I made my decision.

I was going to talk to the boys.

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**A/N: Sooo…what did you think? I hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought. **

**Oh, and I want to work on James and Juliet for the next chapter, so if CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter could message me? I actually wanted this update to be about Juliet and James, but I for some reason can't message you, so if you could contact me, that would be great! :)**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing you guys! It means so much to me. I love you all and Happy Holidays! **


	11. Secrets and Lies and Tears, oh my!

**A/N: What's this? I actually updated twice in the same month? Holy moly! Aren't you proud of me. Haha, I'm just kidding. But yes, I actually do have another chapter ready…thanks to CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter. I'm sorry you couldn't proof read this…I think your PM is disabled because I cannot send you a message. But I tried the best I could to incorporate most of what you suggested. I'm going to save some of the other stuff for later!**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter! Happy Holidays!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Chapter 8: Secrets and Lies and Tears, oh my!

Juliet's POV

"You ok?" I heard him ask, his voice laced with concern. I turned my attention away from the bowl of ice cream I had been absentmindedly playing with, and focused on my boyfriend's worried face.

"I was just thinking," I replied evasively, hoping he'd drop the matter. But James didn't take the hint.

"About?" he prompted, his eyebrows knitted together in curiosity.

I sighed, "Are you happy, James?"

His hazel eyes widened slightly, but he recovered quickly. "I'm not sure what you mean," he responded carefully. But I saw right through him.

"With us," I answered, "Are you happy with us…as a couple?"

"What? Of course I am, Juliet…why would you say something like that?" Though the hurt was evident in the tone of his voice, I could tell he wasn't telling the complete truth.

"It's just…I've always felt like you've been hiding something from me."

James opened his mouth, but I never gave him the chance to talk as I continued to plow through. "At first, I ignored it. I figured we all had our own secrets, our skeletons in the closet. Who was I to demand you to divulge everything? For a while, ignoring my speculations seemed to work. But, I feel like our dynamics have completely changed in the past few weeks…especially when you first saw Leigh."

I noticed James clench his teeth at the sound of her name. "Was there…was there _more _to your relationship with her, James?"

"No there wasn't anything between us, Juliet," he shot back at me, his voice sounding more and more tense with every word he uttered. I knew that I was pushing him, and that was exactly what I wanted.

"James, it's okay if there was. I—"

What little remained of his calm visage rapidly dissipated. "Why are you pushing the matter?" he snapped, "You're making it sound like _I'm_ the bad guy with all the secrets. But what about you? What about you, Juliet? Why don't you tell me something about _you _for once? You never talk about yourself…all I know is that you used to live in France and you did ballet!And you _dare_ sit there accusing me of keeping secrets? You're such a hypocrite!"

My eyes shift back to the table we were sitting at, the feeling of disgrace overwhelming me at the mentioning of my past. "I just want you to be happy James," I whispered.

"And you think that can only happen if I leave you?" James exclaimed in disbelief. "You know what? If you don't believe in this relationship, then why the hell should I?" My head snapped back up, and dismayed, I watched as he shot out of his chair and stormed out of my apartment, slamming the door to my apartment closed.

Once vibrations the slammed door caused ceased, I picked up my bowl of ice cream, and put it back into the freezer. Somberly, I sat back down at my kitchen table and looked out the window, idly watching the Palm Woods residents go about their day. As I sat there, I thought long and hard about what happened between James and me. His words, though hurtful, rang true. I've never really told him about myself. I wish I could, but I just can't. The past is too shameful and dishonorable for me to relive. Though he never admitted it, his anger and defensiveness was all the validation I needed.

There was something going on between he and Leigh, and he wasn't over it. The million-dollar question, though, was _how _do I handle it?

* * *

Logan's POV

"Hey Camille," I said to my girlfriend as she entered my apartment. "You ready for the movie?" She didn't answer me, her face darkened by a torrent of emotions.

"Umm…Camille? Are you ok?" I asked, distraught by her current state. But she remained quiet, still.

I was starting to really freak out…I had never seen Camille like this, and I had no idea what could be possessing her to act this way.

"I think I'm going to go call a doctor," I stated as I moved toward my cell phone. As soon as I my fingers touched the phone, I heard her speak.

"What is it about her?" she asked sadly. I looked at her, surprised by the intensity of her eyes. I saw a myriad of emotions, ranging from sorrow to anger.

"Who?"

"Leigh."

"Camille, there is nothing going on wi—"

"Yes there is, don't lie!" she proclaimed, "Ever since you guys ran into her last night, you all have been moping around here."

"How did you know we saw her last night?" I inquired, remembering she wasn't with us for the encounter.

"Only an idiot wouldn't catch onto your mood change. So, I asked Brianna. You know that girl can't keep her mouth shut."

I nodded. "Look Camille, she was our frien—"

"But you have plenty of friends, here," she countered, "Why is _she _so important?" At this point, Camille was on the verge of sobbing.

Gently, I grabbed her by the shoulders. "Camille, she saved my life. She saved all our-" I paused, knowing very well I couldn't tell Camille about the four of us being kidnapped. "Our careers," I finished. "She let us use one of her songs. She was a good friend to us."

"But she _left _you guys, without _any_ warning. What kind of friend is _that_? And if she was such a good friend, why didn't she tell you she was back in town?"

I bit my lip, knowing I couldn't tell her truth. But, her last question did trigger something within me. Why couldn't she have slipped by? Granted, we were all certain she was here on mob-related business, but surely she could've snuck out just to let us know she was alive. Maybe Camille was on to something.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "It doesn't matter, Camille…we'll probably never see her again. Just calm down, okay? She doesn't matter to me anymore."

Even though what I said earned me a huge smile and a fierce hug from my girlfriend, I felt my stomach drop to my feet. I know Leigh's departure hurt me…hurt everybody tremendously. And, yeah, though it wasn't her fault necessarily, there's still some resentment there, especially since she's back here now. But she still mattered to me…she was still someone I cared about.

Camille brushed away the tears that had started to creep down her face. "Ok, I'm ready for the movie, Logan."

I forced a smile on my face. "Awesome, let's go."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you guys thought of it. I hope I did Juliet some justice, CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter. Hopefully, I'll continue on this roll and update next week sometime, and NOT wait a whole month again. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome!**


	12. Hold My Hand

**A/N: Heeeey guys! Umm...it's been a while, hasn't it? Yikes. I'm SO SO SO sorry...it's been a really difficult time for me since I last updated. A lot of things happened, mostly bad, and I was just trying to get through it. I wasn't really in the mindset to write this story, so I apologize. And I apologize if this chapter sucks...it's been a while, and I'm extremely rusty. **

**A BIG THANK YOU TO crazedreader96akajetliormrslh for pushing me to continue writing this! I really appreciate it, because honestly...this story has been very hard for me to write and it's hard for me to generate the energy to write it. You definitely helped me out so much! :)  
**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 9: Hold My Hand

Kendall POV

"I have a surprise for you!" Brianna exclaimed joyously when she found me sitting by the pool.

I felt the corners of my lips turn upwards slightly at her child-like enthusiasm. But that brief moment of joy was quickly replaced with sadness.

"Bri," I began, "I really appreciate the fact you have a surprise for me, but I'm just not in the mood. Maybe it can wait?"

I looked up to see her giving me the sad puppy dog look that rivaled my own baby sister's. I felt my resolve start to waver as I watched her. Even though I was so down in the dumps, there was just something about Bri that whenever I see her, I feel better. It was one of the things I love most about her.

I sighed and rolled my eyes dramatically. "Okay, if you insist."

Brianna jumped up and down excitedly and I was immediately reminded of Carlos in the ice cream store. The both of them have way too much energy, and there have definitely been times when I wondered if Brianna was actually the Energizer Bunny in disguise.

"Yay!" she squealed, "This is going to be so much fun. Now, the first thing I need you to do is close your eyes."

I complied, expecting her to ask me to open my hands. But instead, I was met with what felt like cloth pressed against my eyes.

"Uh, Bri? I questioned my girlfriend.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Did you put a blindfold on me?"

I heard a giggle next to me. Suddenly, I felt the presence of a hand grabbing my own. My hand was then pulled gently and I knew to stand up.

"It's all part of the surprise!" she sang airily, as if she were talking to a toddler. She gave my hand a gentle tug and I was suddenly being led. "Come on, silly goose…let's go!"

* * *

"Okay, we're here!" she gleefully announced thirty minutes later. I was still blindfolded, none the wiser to what her plans were.

"Can I take the blindfold off?" I asked, trying to not sound annoyed.

"Yep!"

I reached for the knot at the back of my head and tugged on it until the knot loosened. With one last hard yank, the cloth disappeared from my line of vision. I looked up at the sign in mild surprise.

"We're going ice skating?"

Bri nodded vigorously as she grabbed my hand. Lacing my fingers with hers, I let her lead me through the doors of the ice rink.

After several minutes of trying on skates and tying them up, we made our way to rink. I immediately skated on, the ice feeling as natural to me as the ground itself. I turned around expecting to find Bri behind me, but instead I found outside the rink, looking at the ice warily.

"Everything okay?" I called out to her.

"Umm…yeah…everything's fine," she replied uneasily, her blue eyes wide. For a moment, I couldn't understand why she was acting so timid, but it finally dawned on me.

"You don't know how to ice skate do you?"

"Not really," she responded, laughing nervously. I felt a smile spread across my face as I skated toward her. Once within reach, I held out my hands to her.

"C'mon. I'll teach you."

Bri's famous 100 watt smile appeared on her face as she took my hands in hers. Carefully, she placed one skate on the floor, testing her balance. Once she felt confident, she placed her other skate on the floor, rocking slightly as she gained her balanced. I held her hands tightly, assuring her she wouldn't fall. Eventually, she found her equilibrium and I began instructing her on how to skate. As I watched her attempt to skate (and fall a lot), the thoughts of all the lies, betrayals, and fear from the past year completely vanished.

* * *

"How did you know?" I asked her once we were seated. After a good hour of skating, our appetites forced us to discontinue our session. We opted for the pizza that was sold at the ice rink. Brianna bit into her pizza.

"Know what?" she asked, mouth full of pizza. I suppressed my laughter, not wanting to make her feel self-conscious.

"How did you know that taking me to the ice rink would take my mind off of…"

She smiled sadly, "Off of Leigh? Babe, the whole world knows that the boys of Big Time Rush used to play hockey in Minnesota. That, and…well, I asked your mom about what made you the happiest."

"Well, thank you for bringing me here. I really needed to just escape all of that."

"I know I don't know what it's like to be going through what you are, but just know that no matter what, I'll always be here for you."

Warmth spilled from my heart as I leaned toward her and kissed her. Words couldn't express the gratitude I felt for her. After several seconds, we parted. She pushed a strand her straight dirty blonde hair out of her face, and looked up at me, adoration pouring out of her beautiful azure eyes.

"I love you, Kendall."

"I love you too, Bri." I replied emphatically, truthfully.

We left the ice rink twenty minutes later, and drove back to the Palm Woods in amicable silence. I walked her back to her apartment once we were back, and promised her that we would go to a movie tomorrow. After another passionate kiss, we parted company and I returned to my apartment happily. The others were there, and I greeted them merrily. I could tell they were confused by the sudden change in my demeanor, but before they could say anything I went to my room. It was only about four in the afternoon, but I felt exhausted. I hadn't slept well since running into Leigh, and it was taking its toll on me. As I laid down to take a nap, I thought about today and how much fun I had. Bri was a saving grace in the midst of all this chaos. I knew it wasn't easy having me as a boyfriend. Not only was I famous, I had all of this Leigh baggage that most girls wouldn't be comfortable handling. But Bri was able to handle everything with a smile on her face.

As my eyes began to close, all I could think of was how lucky I was to have Bri as my girlfriend.

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**A/N: Okay, I know. It's very short and very cliche. I apologize. I'm not very good with the light hearted stuff, especially in the frame of mind I'm in now. But I hope it wasn't too horrible. Now, I won't promise the next time I'll update, but I'll try to update sooner than this time around. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought!**

**If the creators of the characters in the story could PM so I know you're still here, I'd greatly appreciate it. I still want us to cowrite chapters, if you want to.**


	13. Confession Time

**A/N: Whaaaat? An update? What madness is this? Hi guys, sorry it took me so long to get something up, but I hope you enjoy it!**

**Special thanks to crazedreader96akajetliormrslh for helping me with this chapter and for the use of Alli once again! I truly appreciate all the help you've given me, whether it's ideas for the story or the support you've shown ever since I first started writing this. Thank you SO MUCH.**

**I forgot to thank her when I originally uploaded this, so I decided to go back and edit it since I just remembered how to hahaha. So, sorry if you guys get this notification twice! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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Chapter 10: Confession Time

Alli's POV

I couldn't sleep the night after my talk with Leigh. As I toss and turned in my bed, I thought about my former life, and the great lengths I went to escape from it. And now, it seemed to rear its ugly head once more. I took a great risk when I sought Leigh out, but I knew for the sake of the boys—for Carlos' sake—I had to do something. I could only hope that Leigh would take my advice and make amends.

Finally giving up on sleep, I turned to face my alarm clock to read the time. 5:03 am. Even though it was earlier than my usual time, I decided to go for my morning run. I quickly got dressed and put my laced up my tennis shoes. By 5:10, I was out the door.

My run was uneventful, but it temporarily distracted me from my most recent troubles, for which I was extremely grateful. Before I knew it, it had already almost been an hour since I started my run. Not wanting to tire my legs too much, I decided to jog back to the Palm Woods.

It was still peaceful and quiet when I arrived back at the Palm Woods. I only saw a few people as I walked pass the pool. But it was when I entered the lobby that things were about to get intense. Sitting on the couches were Logan, Kendall, James, and Carlos. They looked up at me expectantly, no signs of pleasantries on their faces.

"Oh hey guys," I greeted casually, hoping to lighten the tension that was obviously lingering in the morning air. It didn't work.

"What's going on with you?" Carlos asked, his voice calm but firm.

"I don't think I understand what you mean by that," I countered.

Kendall sighed. "Look, Alli. Carlos is concerned because you've been acting weird lately. Especially yesterday. After you got back from your 'appointment', you avoided all of us. Is everything okay?"

I felt trapped as I looked into each of the boys' eyes. I wanted to tell them the truth, but I knew I couldn't do it without revealing Leigh's side of it. And it wasn't my place to say anything.

"Well…you see…" I stalled, hoping to come up with a lie to appease them. "I…"

"Perhaps I can explain," a voice said quietly. From the look on the guys' faces, I already knew who was standing behind me. Shock, disbelief, hurt, and anger…their faces said it all. I didn't even have to turn around to acknowledge her.

"Leigh."

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Carlos' POV

I couldn't believe my eyes. She was here, back at the Palm Woods…with us. For a brief moment, it almost felt like things were normal again. But the weary look in her green-grey eyes told me that things weren't normal, and probably never would be.

Leigh's eyes roamed the lobby suspiciously. "I think it best to move somewhere more…secure before we speak freely." I noticed Alli nod in agreement, she too looking over her shoulder inconspicuously.

What was going on?

Slowly, I got up to my feet. Kendall, Logan, and James followed suit, unable to take their eyes off of Leigh.

"We can go to our apartment." Kendall offered, "Mom and Katie are out of town for a couple of days."

Both girls nodded, clearly content with the proposal. Silently, the six of us made our way to the elevator. It didn't take long for the elevator doors to open, allowing us to file inside it.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors opened once more, letting us out on the second floor. We entered apartment 2J and sat down. The girls, along with Logan and I occupied the couch while Kendall and James brought out two chairs from the kitchen to sit on. Once everbody was situated, Logan leaned forwardd to look Leigh straight in the eye before glancing at Alli.

"Ok, can somebody _please _explain to me what the hell is going on? And, is it my imagination or do you two know each other?"

Leigh leaned into the couch's backrest and rubbed her hand against her face tiredly.

"To address your question about Alli and myself….yes, we know each other. We're cousins."

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The looks on my three bandmates' faces summed it up completely: dumbfounded. Our best friend from Minnesota is related to an Irish mobster? A sudden thought took hold of me, the realization causing my head to start reeling.

"If you're related…does that mean you're…" I began to ask Alli, struggling to get the words out. She smiled at me sadly, her blue-green eyes weary.

"Was. But yes, Leigh and I were in the mob together before I walked out. I was born and raised in Ireland for the first half of my life. My life was the mob, my parents trained me extensively in several martial arts, weapons, espionage. Besides Irish and English, I can speak Arabic, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese. Like Leigh, I was highly trained and was expected to make great strides within the mob. But that all changed when my parents were killed on the job. I was sent to the States to live with my father's aunt. My aunt and her husband lived in Minnesota, and consequently, that's how I got to know you four. And that's when my perspective began to change. I never knew there could be any life outside the mob. I never questioned my future, for it was already planned for me. But when I moved to Minnesota and met you all…I realized I didn't want the life I grew up having anymore. I managed to barter with the family: a promise that bounded my life to them should I ever break it. I swore to never betray the mob and never rat them out in return for my freedom. It took a lot of persuading on my behalf, but thankfully my legal guardians had no knowledge of the mob, so that helped my case. The family didn't want to involve people they didn't need to, so in the end I was allowed to walk free."  
Alli bowed her head, suddenly finding the floor to be very interesting. I heard her inhale shakily as she continued. "I…shouldn't have kept it a secret from you guys. But…I didn't want you all to think of me differently…"

Leigh placed a hand on her shoulder. It seemed awkward for them both, but I could tell that the sentiment was genuine.

"Alli…we would never think of you differently," I responded emphatically, "You're our friend and we care about you, no matter where you came from. You know that, don't you?"

She looked up at me, a look of surprise clearly on her face. But she smiled slightly and nodded.

"Thanks."

"Carlos is right. We'll always be there for you, Alli. No matter your past, you're our friend, and that's what counts."

I noticed Logan nodding in agreement, and for the first time I realized just how quiet and still James was being. I knew he felt the same as the rest of us about Alli, but he made no move to show his support. Instead, he just sat there, staring at Leigh as if she were a ghost. I glanced over at Leigh and observed that she too was looking at James. Her eyebrows knitted in concern. I was about to ask James if he was okay, but Logan unintentionally cut me off with his own question.

"So was that what you're appointment was about yesterday? Did you go find Leigh?"

Alli wordlessly nodded. Leigh stepped in and took over.

"Alli found me yesterday and told me about how our little encounter affected you." The mob girl sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Look…all I can say is that I'm so very sorry for what I put you through. To be honest…I didn't even remember who you guys were until I saw you the other day. After…the incident two years ago, my father sent a couple of mobsters to abduct me from the hospital. Once I was back in his clutches…he…" She paused, as if trying to collect herself before she continued. "He wanted to make me forget. About running away from the mob, living in LA…meeting you guys. And he was successful. He hired this scientist who essentially deprived me of everything. Food, water, light, sound, people…time. I temporarily went insane and it was during this period of time that they were able to convince me that everything that had happened was just some dream. They fed me lies and for two years I bought it like a fool. Had I known…I promise you I would've found some way to let you know where I had gone."

Leigh began to tremble, and I could tell it was in anger. Alli rubbed her back sympathetically, a sorrowful, but knowing expression on her face. I felt my heart crack at the site of these two girls. They were so young yet they have had to deal with so much. It just wasn't right.

"Leigh…" Logan started, his voice thick with concern.

The girl ceased trembling, her apathetic visage firmly in tact. "I must leave soon, before anyone gets suspicious. God willing, this will be the last time you see me. If the mob realized I was back in contact with you four, you could be in serious danger. Alli, I trust you will watch over them?"

The fiery red head nodded. "Of course." Leigh nodded back, their mutual respect toward each other evident.

"Before I leave, I would like to speak with you, James." My hazel eyed friend's eyes widen, as if he had suddenly become aware of the situation. But he remained silent.

"We'll get out of your way…maybe head out to breakfast?" Kendall suggested. The rest of us agreed unenthusiastically. Alli gave her cousin one last reassuring squeeze before heading out the door, while the rest of us hugged her goodbye.

"Be safe, okay Li-Li?" I asked earnestly as I hugged her. She pulled from me, a soft smile on her face. I knew she wasn't particular fond of the nickname, but I think hearing it brought back some fond memories.

"You guys too."

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**A/N: Soo…what did you think? They finally know what happened! Hooray! I'll be contacting a few of the character's creators in a short while, so watch out for that! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Thank you!**


	14. Safe and Sound

A/N: ….anyone there? I'm so sorry it's taken so long to write this chapter! Life has been crazy! But thanks to OnlyAfterMidnight for helping me write this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

**Oh! I have a twitter if anyone wants to follow me! I'll try to use it to keep you guys updated on this story. I also want to use it to get to know you guys better and stuff! My twitter name is AbbyMasrai if you'd like to follow me**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Chapter 10: Safe and Sound

James POV

Leigh and I watched as the others left, quietly shutting the door behind them. I felt myself freeze at the notion that I was in the apartment with Leigh, just the two of us. I didn't know what to do or say, so I waited for her to make the first move. Leigh didn't take very long to act.

"James," she whispered as she approached me. I stood up and felt her arms wrap around me. I hesitated at first, but then allowed my hands to encircle her small frame. Though my indecision was momentary, Leigh caught it. She pulled away from me, her piercing green eyes staring at me intently.

"Are you okay? You haven't said anything since I got here, and I felt you tense up when I hugged you."

My stomach knotted as I tried to find a way to tell her the news. "Leigh…I…I have a girlfriend."

"W-what?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"It's been two years since you left. You don't know how depressed I was. God Leigh, it was a really dark time in my life. But then, Juliet entered my life and somehow, she understood me. She saved me, Leigh. I probably wouldn't be here without her."

Her green orbs swelled with a myriad of emotions, a lot of them I couldn't quite understand. Then, as soon as the emotions appeared, they vanished. Her eyes were cool and apathetic as she responded. "Oh, I see."

I felt my heart break. The desire to comfort her overcame me, and I took a step forward. "Leigh, I—"

She took a step back and shook her head solemnly. "It's fine, James. Really. All I want for you is to be happy. I-I should probably go now. Take care."

Leigh moved past me and exited the door without looking back at me. My first reaction was to run after her, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. Not only would it hurt her more, it would confuse me even more than I was. The truth was I still love Leigh, even after all this time. But I love Juliet. Leigh's life was much too dangerous for an everyday guy like me. I wanted to get married, have children. As much as I care for Leigh, I knew I couldn't have those things with her. However, with Juliet I could have that life. Juliet was safe; she was ordinary.

I exhaled loudly, the morning's surprise taking its toll on me. I tried to push back my emotions as I walked out of apartment 2J. Even though I wasn't hungry, I went to the Waffle House, where I knew my friends would be. It was our favorite place to eat breakfast.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw my friends in our usual spot. To my surprise, Bri, Juliet, and Camille were sitting there as well. I knew I shouldn't be too surprised since we all always ate together, but seeing the very girl who I just told my former girlfriend about made my decision all the more real.

I forced a smile on my face as I joined my friends. I slid into the booth next to Juliet, who smiled softly at me.

"Is everything okay, James? Logan told us that you were running late because your mother called."

"Oh,' I replied, "Right. Yes, everything's fine. She just wanted to catch up."

I looked over to Logan, who eyed me concernedly. I sent him a small smile and he seemed satisfied with my answer to Juliet. Once Logan looked back down at his menu, I noticed Ali who was sitting next to him. Her eyes were on me, as if she thought staring at me would cause me to breakdown. I had to look away for fear that it would. As I looked down at my menu, I couldn't help but wonder if Leigh told Ali about our relationship.

I pushed the thought out of my head, knowing that it didn't matter anymore. I chose Juliet, and there was nothing that could make me change my mind.

* * *

Riley's POV

I heard a loud groan escape the group of men behind me when my knife sank into the bullseye of the dartboard. The front of the board held not only the hundreds of punctures from darts, but now the fresh new gashes of my deadly throwing knives. A few of the older guys that Leigh's father had under his command had bet money against every bullseye that I made. So far, I was winning a lot of cash off of them and they were getting very bruised egos. Even though I didn't like the lot of them, and spending my time beating someone senseless wasn't any idea of fun for me, I couldn't help the smirk of pride that tugged at my lips as my final knife hit the dead center with a resounding thud.

"Looks like I'll be buying myself some new toys," I commented with a smirk and a half lowered brow, holding out my hand as they passed me, each of them dropping a few bills for the bets they had lost. I already knew my morals were held far above them, and I thought of myself as a better being all together, but the fact that I towered over them in height, beat most of them in brawn, and was now taking their money using my lethal skill made me happy.

Even guys like me need that kind of ego boost once in a while - especially since nothing stopped me when it came to my father's orders.

As the men left the recreational room I chuckled to myself, leaning against a pool table as I counted my awesome little pile of cash. Once I was done with that I looked about the room, debating what to do until I was given an assignment. My eyes wandered down and I slipped a money clip over the bills and headed to the opposite end of the room, where some cabinets were hung on the walls. Opening one up I pulled off my shirt, folding it with military precision before placing it on the bottom shelf. Kneeling down I then removed my Doc Martens, giving them a hard stare a moment, deciding to shine them later, and placed them, too, on the shelf near my shirt. Hearing someone walking through the room I turned to see Leigh, and she glanced over at me, as if she hadn't noticed I was there.

That was strange, considering she noticed almost everything.

Turning fully about I gave her a look, which made her stop, and give me one.

"Why are you shirtless?"

"Why are you upset?" I countered, not willing to let her get away that easily. I knew she wouldn't want to tell me, but since I knew her tell it would be pointless to try and hide it. I'd get it out of her anyways. Seeming to process the same knowledge I did she dropped her gaze, walking over and leaning on a pool table across from me.

"I...I went and talked to them...the boys, I mean."

Straightening up my expression hardened a bit and I shook my head.

"You what? Leigh, do you realize what that could do to us? What you jeopardized? I mean you-"

"Riley, stop, okay? Just...stop." Her tone was very hard, but it didn't hide the hurt. I know how mad she was when she was told about her memories, but I thought I was helping her with that. This, though, this was something else, something unfamiliar.

"Look I know you are insanely loyal to what we do and you follow every order, every protocol like they want you to, but I had to see them. They're a part of my past, of my life! They were my friends, and I hurt them. I just wanted to set things straight. I mean, what would you do in my situation?"

I paused, letting my eyes trail to the side for a second as I thought about it. I had never really thought about what I would have done in her shoes - then again I never thought about what I would do in any body elses shoes, either. She must have seen me hesitate, because at that moment she took a small step towards me, though the gap was still there.

"I know what I did was dangerous, and I accept that and any punishment that may come of it if I'm found out, but when you have feelings for someone-" My attention came back to her and I felt a drop in my stomach, noting the way she worded that.

"Feelings?" Leigh paused, giving me a look as though it were obvious.

"Yes, I mean they-"

"No, you said feelings for someone, not care for people or anything indicating a group."

Her eyes darted to the side, though the lack of a nose twitch told me that I caught her in something she might not have realized herself. With a small shake of her head she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, though it failed as it slipped back out again.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways, so..."

She avoided eye contact again, looking everywhere but at me, and I could see the glisten building up around the edges of her eyes. I was risking a lot lately, probably as much as her as far as I was concerned. It wasn't like me to open up to people at all, but working with Leigh and AJ...I don't even know. I felt more comfortable with them. Besides, Leigh held my tell, and I revealed too much already. Still, I didn't want to see her in pain, I wanted to prevent it. Even now, in my gut, I felt a small pang of what I could only assume was jealousy. I watched her cross her arms in a guarded position, obviously she didn't like feeling this vulnerable, and lean back against the pool table.

With little hesitation I stepped forward, approaching and only stopping just in front of her, making her look up at me.

"And what about me?"

It was a vague question, but I knew she knew what I would be getting at. There it was again, that flicker in her eyes, and she looked away.

"Riley I really just don't know, I mean-"

"Okay wait, I know I came on strong when everything happened but..." She stayed silent even though I had interrupted her, and she stared at me fidgeting in my place. The words were hard to find - emotions were hard to express. I leaned back a little, running a hand over my face and then over the back of my neck. I had to close my eyes to try and focus, keep calm and not say something I'd regret. So, with that strategy I stepped forward, leaning my right hand on the edge of the pool table next to hers and brought my left up to hold the back of her neck. My hands were large enough that my thumb could caress her cheek while my fingers held her gently in place, lightly tangled in her hair. Hunching over enough to press my forehead to hers I could feel my jaw clench and the slight trembling in hers.

"Ba mhaith liom a chiallaíonn rud éigin a thabhairt duit."

_I want to mean something to you._

Her green eyes widened, and I almost missed her sharp intake of breath. A maelstrom of emotions whirled within her eyes, and for a moment I thought I might have said too much. But then, I noticed an imperceptible shift in her demeanor. Rather than shying away, she leaned in, the smallest of smiles gracing her lips.

"Chiallaíonn tú gach rud i mo."

_You mean everything to me._

Hearing her words I felt a sharp yet pleasant feeling run through my whole being. My eyes must have lit up, because she tilted her head a little at me like a delighted puppy. Letting out a breath I could feel my heart swelling up, and I chuckled kind of nervously under my breath, taking a hold of her shoulders.

"This...this must be what people mean when they say 'weak in the knees'."

Without any more delay I quickly leaned forward to kiss her - a bit clumsy as opposed to before, but much, much better. I didn't pause to think that maybe her feelings weren't genuine, that perhaps she was covering up the hurt, or the possibility I was just a rebound guy. All I knew was that when I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer is that I had never felt this kind of wholeness. In that moment pain vanished, my past was irrelevant, and the ache in my chest from being torn between my parents diminished.

Leigh was dangerous, guarded, hurt, manipulated and probably didn't completely trust me, but I knew what I felt was real. It was rushed, but real. I'd make it work, whatever the costs.

* * *

**A/N: How was it? Should I continue with this story? I know I haven't been consistently updating, and I can't guarantee that I will update more frequently. But if you guys want this story, I will do everything in my power to write it in its entirety. Please let me know, because if no one's interested, then there's no point in writing it. Thank you!**

**Also, if the other characters creators could contact me? I want to start discussing ideas with you all. Thanks again! Much love to you all. **


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